Where Did the Time Go?
by Commander Argus
Summary: Senior Year Part 2.  Kim and Ron are making their final push to graduation.  College aps, Tough classes...and the PROM, take 2 [COMPLETE]
1. Part I

_**Where Did the Time Go**_

**Chapter 1**

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_I can do this._

_I can cause doomsday spacecraft to self-destruct in orbit._

_I can single-handedly defeat Monkey Fist._

_I can do this._

Ron stared into this dresser mirror, trying to understand what he was doing wrong. All he had to do was nod at Rufus and he would be on his shoulder helping him. He simply didn't want to do that. For once, he wanted to accomplish this on his own.

Letting out a sigh he unbuttoned the tips of his collar and turned them up. The neck button was already done. He actually hated wearing shirts this way, feeling like he was being choked to death even though the neck was the correct size.

Flip and twist and fold and pull. He looked in the mirror at his handiwork. Well, it looked a lot more like a knot, kind of like a half-Windsor. Only he'd been going for a traditional square. Well, close enough, only the top was going to show over his robe anyhow.

No, this just wouldn't do. The back was far longer than the front and that was only down to the middle of his chest. Growling slightly he undid his tie once more.

Rufus sat on the edge of his dresser, looking up at his human proudly. This day was the culmination of so much. Twelve years finally complete, finally he was ready to take his first steps into true manhood. He may have been considered a man in his faith and had been for almost five years but the rest of society saw this as the true beginning of adulthood.

In his case it was actually quite a big accomplishment. There were times when it was very likely this day would either never come or would be put off one, two even three years. There had been a real scare at the end of his eleventh year that he would not be allowed to begin the twelfth. It took everything he had to pull up his grades at the last moment and get promoted.

The little Naked Mole Rat sat there, knowing Ron had to do this himself. He understood that. It was fine when he climbed up there and helped him get ready for Temple once he decided he had outgrown clip-ons, but this was different. Completely different.

"I can go this, little buddy." He said, wrapping his tie around the back of his neck again. Rufus just held up a claw in an approximation of a thumbs-up sign.

_Would I be weird if I pointed it out that Naked Mole Rats are not supposed to have opposable digits?_ He thought with a slight chuckle.

It was the first time he had been able to laugh in months and even that brought another wave of melancholy. He sighed again and made another go at the knot. This time the knot came out looking right, though the length was even worse than before. The tail of the tie was hanging way down past his belt.

He looked down and noticed Rufus was holding a book open. He couldn't quite make out the writing but the pictures there were clear. It was instructions for tying a neck-tie.

This was supposed to be easy. Easier than tying a bow-tie.

No. He wouldn't think about that night. He didn't have to, it was still too fresh in his mind, too painful. So much so he would literally never wear a bow-tie again. It just wasn't going to happen, it hurt that much. Today, however, he had to wear a neck-tie. That was fine. He wore them to temple, especially now that he went with his parents every Saturday without fail. It was time he grew up and that meant being more observant in his faith.

This time when he looked in the mirror he had the length right, but the knot looked, well, deflected was the word kids would use for it. To him it just looked corrupt. It wasn't even qualified to be the acceptable messy knot, the half-Windsor he managed earlier. Besides, tradition called for a proper square knot here. Sure, some of the others would wear string ties or more fashion forward round buttoned collars, but Ron was a little more traditional. Dark, conservative tie, white dress shirt, dark slacks, freshly polished dress shoes. He was going to look right for this. He did it, mostly on his own and it was going to be done correctly.

This time, though, strong feminine fingers reached around his neck and started guiding his hands. In a few deft moves the tie finally came together with a nice solid knot and the length just right. Those slender fingers tucked the tail into the tag so it wouldn't flop around behind the front and smoothed it on his chest.

Then she went over to his bed and pulled something dark blue, almost purple from the tissue paper lined box, holding it up to the light streaming in through his bedroom window. Then she took something else from the box, inspecting the perfectly square object, made of matching dark blue material with a tassel of blood red and goldenrod.

She pulled off her glasses for a moment to wipe her eyes.

"My little boy, all grown up into such a fine man now. Where did the time go?" His mother said, looking at him from head to toe. Ron was never going to be a very tall man in any respect, still sitting a couple inches shy of six feet tall. He was, in every regard, nicely average in height and build. Intensive exercise over the last year plus a final growth spurt had filled him out a little better. There was no way anyone could call him bird-chested any more. In fact, he had to replace a good portion of his wardrobe. Only his remaining two red jerseys would still fit him.

He frowned slightly, realizing where the other two were.

"To think you did this all on your own. Not the top of your class, but this is still impressive and going on to that prestigious school in Denver no less. I can't tell you how proud I am of you."

"You just did, Mom. You just did."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulder again. "I love you so much, Son, I hope you know that."

"I do, Mom. I do." He said, leaning his head over to touch hers.

"I just hated to see that happen to you. It wasn't fair."

Ron broke free from her. "Mom, I don't want to talk about that, not today, Okay."

"All I'm saying, Ronnie, is that I tried to tell you that was going to happen. It was inevitable. It's just the way she's made." She said, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"Mom, don't talk about her like that. She's not made that way, she's just…"

"Just what, Ronnie? She left you high and dry on what should have been the most important night of your lives and for what? Just because some pretty boy from Middleton College decided to sweep her off her feet. I tried telling you before she was only with you until something she thought was better came along."

"Mom, it wasn't like that. She…just didn't trust me. I don't think she ever really did." He said sadly.

"Trust you? How could she have distrusted you? You were with her every moment of her life until she decided to throw it all away. She could have trusted you with her life."

"That's not what I meant. She…she couldn't handle that she might not be the only one I cared about. She couldn't handle that somebody else might want me enough to get her out of the picture. That wasn't true, but she couldn't see that."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. We shouldn't be having this pity fiesta today Ronnie." She picked up the robe and held it to his chest, still marveling she had to hold it up. Ron had grown into the tallest Stoppable ever, standing a few inches taller than either of his parents.

She left him to finish getting ready for graduation. Graduation. He was finally going to put that hated Middleton High School behind him. That was fine with him. That meant putting her behind him as well. It was a good thing Middleton College passed him over. He was accepted for the Johnson and Wales program in Denver anyhow. He didn't know if he could take going to the same school with her for four more years.

Some time over the summer he would go find himself a nice apartment in Denver and he would finally move out. There wasn't anything to hold him here any more and it was still close enough he could drive down and visit his parents regularly. He didn't have to worry about money. His father had increased the allowance he could draw off his Bueno Nacho trust fund and there would be plenty left over after the apartment and books to live on if he was careful.

He glanced around his room. Most of the old toys were gone. Before he had access to his own money he found that a lot of them were actually quite valuable. That worked out well at the time, since he needed the money to buy her a nice birthday gift. Too bad it was just wasted money, though he hoped she still wore them from time to time. The emerald earrings themselves cost more than a thousand dollars. That would be chump-change when he turned twenty-one and could draw on his whole trust fund, but even now that was a lot of money.

It was still an hour before they would pile into his father's Camry and head for the ceremony. The graduation itself was really more than two hours away, but he always insisted on being early for everything. Ron had an assigned seat based on where his name fell in the alphabet, so he wasn't worried about getting a prime spot, but it didn't matter, his father had to be early and that was it.

Ron lay back on his bed, propping his hands behind his head. He really wished she was with him today. He missed her terribly. He closed his eyes tightly and wished it could be different. Mom was wrong. It wasn't her fault, not completely. Oh, yeah, she'd been the one to finally throw him over for a college guy, but that was just the final step. He was the one that let it get that far. He was the one who drove them apart.

It was his fault.

His fault.

Ron opened his eyes with a shiver, and it wasn't just from the cold. He had grown stiff sleeping like this and the dress shirt was itching. At least he'd undone his tie, leaving it hanging from his collar. Something else was bothering him, so he used his free hand to check his chin.

The rubber band holding his party hat on was starting to chafe his chin slightly, so he took the conical party favor off and sat it on the end-table just to his right.

He was also aware his other arm was completely asleep.

There was no way in the world he was going to move, though. It was wrapped around Kim's waist. She was curled up asleep on his chest, her tiny but strong hand palm down on his shoulder. Even in the low light of the Possible's den he could see the contented smile on her face.

He twisted his head and realized why he was so cold, despite having a very warm girlfriend cuddled up to him. Outside snow was falling again. It hadn't been called for, but there it was, deepening the blanket of fluffy white that had dominated the landscape for the better part of December. A white Christmas (and Hanukah for that matter) had given away to a snowy New Year.

Then the dream started coming back to him. The details were lost, but he could remember the despair he felt. In that future, Kim was lost to him and it was his fault. Unconsciously he pulled her closer. She responded by letter her hand drop to his waist, snuggling even deeper into his chest. There was no way he could see his watch, but it had to be very early in the morning. The party itself had gone on past one. They had watched the ball drop on the east coast and then the central states, finally watching the ball in Denver drop, followed by the one in LA before everyone finally said their goodnights.

Nobody ever seemed to bother them when they fell asleep together on the couch.

Thank God, it had only been a dream.

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Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	2. Part II

_**Where Did the Time Go**_

**Chapter 2**

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"Come on, Ron, get your head in the game." Kim said as she dragged him around the used car lot by the hand. 

Ron's free hand found its way to its usual spot on the back of his neck. At least he had a real reason for rubbing it this time instead of just covering up some embarrassment. "Sorry, KP. It's just my neck is really, really stiff. I think I slept on it funny"

"Serves you right, sleeping on a couch like that." She said, stopping in front of another snow-covered car. She started scraping the powdery stuff away with her mittenned hands, trying to see inside.

"Hey, you were there too."

"Yeah, but I had a nice soft pillow." She patted his tummy. "You could have always gotten up and gone home to your nice soft bed. Besides, you could have laid down and used a pillow. I wouldn't have minded."

"You know, if your parents trust us so well, why can't we just go upstairs and sleep in your bed when I stay over. I used to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor."

"Well, one, back then you were twelve and just my best friend and they knew you could be trusted just fine and two, it just doesn't work that way. I don't think Daddy even likes you being alone with me in my bedroom these days."

"He didn't say anything about it." He shrugged his shoulders, thinking they were actually well past this by now.

"No, but watch what happens if we go up there together and close the doors. He'd be knocking inside of five seconds and wandering back and forth to the attic tower all the time, just to keep an eye on us. Can you imagine what he would think about us sleeping together in my bed. Besides, there isn't room for both of us there."

"Hey, we've spent the night in my bed and it's smaller." He protested.

"Well, that's different. In my own bed I like to spread out a little more. I like my space."

Ron just shook his head. "I think we've done more on that couch than we ever did in my bed."

"Shhhh." She held he finger up to her lips. "Let's try to keep some secrets to ourselves."

"Okay, okay." He looked in the window she was trying to see through. "I don't think this is the best day of the year to go car shopping." The entire lot looked more like a forest of car shaped snow mounds. You almost couldn't tell what color most of them were.

Kim wiped a pile of snow off the hood of a light gray hatchback. "You need a car, don't you? Unless you really want to shell out three grand to get your bike fixed." She knew it was too late for that. He'd already sold the wreck for scrap. They had a nice dinner on what he made off of it.

"Nope, can't afford that right now, especially the way the insurance was going to go up after I crashed it." He'd known the tires were getting bad on his motorcycle. The rear finally failed and he was lucky it was just the bike that took the brunt of the crash. That and his leather jacket.

"That's not going to help with the car sitch either." She said. "Here, some guy wants three-hundred for this one." She dusted most of the remaining snow from it. The paint looked pretty good, as did the dark red interior, at least what they could see from the outside.

Ron's nose turned up in disgust. "Kim, you couldn't pay me three hundred to take that car. It's a Chevy Chevette, probably one of the least cool cars ever made. It's so uncool it's negative cool. If you parked this car beside a Corvette it'd suck so much cool out of the air you'd think the Stingray was a Camry or something boring like that."

"So, you're saying, it's not the car a normal guy would drive?"

"Well, no…and don't try to play me with 'never be normal.' That thing's got loser mobile written all over it." He said, holding his finger and thumb to his forehead in the shape of an L. "The only people who drive cars like that are…"

"Broke students who either drive the uncool car or walk." Kim said, her hands on her hips. "Ron, if you need to, I can help you with the price."

"No Kim, that's not the issue. I need a car that makes a statement, one that says 'I have arrived.'"

"Oy, Ron! We're talking about basic transportation to get us to and from school, something that will get us there warm and dry. You're not dressing it up to take to the Prom with you."

"Uh, Kim, check the Calendar. The Prom is just four and a half months away. If I have something like this now, we're going to be showing up in it. I want to roll in style, not…why is there writing on the door that says 'Swamp Rat?'" He pointed to the hand-painted script right over the driver's side door.

"I dunno." She said, buffing it with her sleeve. "I think that's just model paint. Should come off easily enough."

Ron just looked at her with wide-eyed wonder. "KP, you're acting like you've already decided I'm going to buy this car. We don't even know if it runs."

She gave him a sidelong glance. "I do know what's best for you." She said. "Look, it's already got a luggage rack, we could convert that into a bike carrier. You said you wanted to go up to Mount Middleton this summer and try out that weird downhill bike we've got."

He pulled his fleece cap off and took a comb out of his pocket and started slicking down his hair. "Hmm, maybe I could call in a favor and go see François for some more Pomme Le Goop. Then I'll get me some fierce new clothes. Oh, and I'll go work my Dad over to free up my trust fund, then I can go all blow-happy with the money and get all big-heady."

"Are you done yet, tangent boy?" Kim had her arms crossed, tapping her foot, though the effect was lost in four inches of snow.

"No. I'm just making a point. Every time you say you know what's good for me, something bad happens."

Kim was actually flabbergasted. "Okay, outside of the haircut, name one?"

"I, uh, well, uh."

"Okay, I know eating better is good for you, so I weaned you off the crap in the caf. Now, tell me you're not healthier than you have been in your life. I know that helping you with your schoolwork is what's good for you and you've got the best grades of your life."

"But KP, this is a car. It's the other part of that rite of passage thing I was telling you about."

"Okay, Ron, don't buy this particular car. We need something and I don't think I can take another five months of walking to and from school every single day."

Ron stared at her for a moment. "You got spoiled!"

Kim looked shocked "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Once I got the bike, you got used to being chauffeured around instead of walking like we've done our whole lives. We only live two miles from the school, it's not going to kill us walking it."

Kim started walking around the car, trying each of the four door handles. The very last one, on the passenger's side opened for her. She reached into the back and unlocked the door there, climbing into the back seat.

"KP, what are you doing?" Ron asked, looking around the parking lot. Being only the second day of the new year and the banks being closed since the official holiday was on a Sunday, the lot was actually closed, so there wasn't anyone around to push them for a sale. Still, he wasn't quite sure what she was up to.

She unlocked the door on his side and opened it, pulling him in by his jacket front.

"Wow, it's actually colder in this car than it is outside." He said, watching his breath freeze. He noticed the snow was already building up on the windshield. It was really coming down again, to the point the first day back at school was in danger of being canceled. That was saying a lot for a community that normally knew how to deal with winter precip.

He blew another cloud of breath as a mitten covered hand reached behind his head and pulled him forward. Kim's lips met his as her other hand traveled up his thigh. Suddenly he found he wasn't very cold at all. In fact, things were heating up quite nicely in the tiny old Chevy.

Kim finally came up for air, though her hand stayed dangerously high on his lap. "See, isn't that nicer than making out on the back of that old bike."

"S'ha, though I think there's only barely much more room back here. I think you could park this whole car in the back seat of Mom's."

Kim grinned at him. "I like the back seat of your Mom's car, but I like this too. It's cozy." She ran a fingertip down the curve of his nose, tapping his lip. She considered his lips a couple moments more before leaning into another kiss.

"So, what you're telling me is that the hottest girl in school thinks this car is sexy and she'd do anything for it's driver."

"I don't know about 'anything.'" She laughed. "but I can think of a few things I might consider." She crossed one leg over his, her hand gripping his waist. "Honestly, Ron. If this car runs okay it's the only one you can afford that isn't going to spike your insurance. Besides, we don't have to take it to the Prom. If we have to, we'll rent a limo or something, or we can all pile into Felix' van."

"I don't know about that. I think Monique has called dibs on that, especially the part behind his chair lift, if you know what I mean." To emphasize his point, Ron put his hand as high as he dared on Kim's thigh.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What exactly has Felix been telling you about what happens on their dates?"

"What has Monique been telling you?" He asked right back.

"That's between me and Mon." She said easily.

"I have veys of making you talk." Ron said in a silly accent. He reached around her waist and started nibbling on her right ear.

"Quit that." She giggled, though she was canting her head to give him a little easier access. Finally he gave her a kiss on the cheek and leaned back in his seat again.

"Actually, when I got back he clammed up pretty tight about what was going on. My guess, since they're still together is he's gone into 'gentlemen don't kiss and tell' mode, meaning he's got something to tell that he isn't telling. Am I right?"

Kim grinned at him and nodded. "I think Mon's planning to get a hotel room or something. Both of them will be eighteen by then, so they can do that." She looked him right in the eye. "Kinda sucks having summer birthdays sometimes, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. That means if we want to do something this summer, we're pretty much going to have to wait until late. I don't think Mom and Dad are going to go for another joint vacation like that. Sure, they like your folks just fine but they like doing their own thing."

"There's another reason you need a car, Honey. We can take trips. Think about it, every once in a while driving up to the ski lodge, getting us a room, not doing a lot of actual skiing." She touched her forehead to his. "They've got rooms with hot tubs too, you know."

"You know, after Japan, hot tubs kind of lose their appeal."

"Except in a private hot tub it's just you and me…and nothing else." She said, lowering her head so she was looking up at him demurely. She reached up under his jacket front and tugged his belt buckle back and forth. Not enough for it to come undone, just to make a point. "We could run up there just for some private study time. You know, like when you need to study hard." She leaned in for another kiss, keeping her fingers just inside the top of his pants.

"I really wish tomorrow wasn't a school day tomorrow." Kim said. "I could go for some more snow-night cuddling in your treehouse, though much more cuddling like that and we'll be fighting Mon and 'Lix for the back of his van." She pulled her mittens off and then started pulling Ron's gloves off, twining her fingers with his as they kissed.

"One thing is pretty certain." He said. "Your parents wouldn't be worried about the two of us doing too much in the back of a car like this."

"Oh, why do you say that?" She managed to slip her leg up over his lap, straddling him in the tight confines of the back seat. Her head was actually touching the headliner. She unzipped her jacket and put his hands where they wouldn't possibly get cold.

"Oh, did we forget something today?" He asked, grinning from ear to ear while Kim did her best to convince him to buy the car. He'd already made up his mind, at least as long as it ran. Maybe if Motor Ed broke out they'd roll up in this thing and he'd laugh so hard they could take him down without a fight.

The next day, right after school there were there again. The weather had flip-flopped again, going all the way up in to the fifties. The sun was out and by mid-afternoon a lot of the snow was nothing more than gray slush on the side of the roads or patches of white sitting in the shadows.

The old Chevy did actually run though neither of them had noticed it had a manual tranny.

Ron nearly choked when Kim made a joke about 'driving a stick.' If things had gotten any hotter during the snowstorm, he would have felt obliged to buy the car whether it ran or not. Still, by the end of the afternoon he was the proud owner of yet another vehicle that was older than he was and ran far better than it looked.

They didn't explore the back seat any more that night, though. It was Tuesday and Ron's parents always went to Denver on some mysterious errand each week. Somehow he had the strange notion his father did that to give them some private time at home but he couldn't really imagining his mother going along with something like that. One of these days he was going to find out exactly what they were doing. They had even taken to staying overnight lately, though they weren't planning on doing that this time. Besides, they had homework to get done and that always came before any other kind of fun.

It was very nice to have a reward waiting for their schoolwork's completion.

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A/N - I know there are those out there screaming at Ron saying "Don't Do It! It's a Chevette! Well, I know it's about the lamest car ever, but I owned one of those things and I drove it two hundred thousand miles (my parents bought it new in 1980 and it was passed on to me when I got my license. It took me through High School and College and lived well into my marraige before some kid ran a redlight and t-boned it.) It's not as cool as Ron's late bike, but hey, he needs a ride!

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Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney


	3. Part III

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part III**

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Bonnie shouldered her "Healthy Bag" purse and stomped out of the house in a huff. This just wasn't fair. Her sisters were three and five years older than her, they should have been out on their own, not still living at home, not still lording over the house like they owned it and not their parents. This should have been Bonnie's time and it seemed like the two took some kind of perverse pleasure living at home. Yet it was like her mother, who was all excited that Bonnie had been accepted at GCU, couldn't wait for her youngest daughter to be out of the house. Maybe it was the fact she wasn't putting up a fight about leaving the nest, that at least she could get one of her children out on her own. No matter the reason, in the end it still hurt. Connie and Lonnie would probably continue living there until one of their boyfriends went completely insane and asked one of those witches to marry them.

In fact, Bonnie couldn't get away from that place fast enough. Whether it was just for the day (school was good for something at least) or when she finally cut loose and headed for school, it was a blessing for her to get out of that situation. How could her mother dote over her one minute then take her sisters' side on everything the next. Alone with her mother she was her little Bon-bon, yet put either of them in the same room and it was obvious she just didn't measure up.

She hadn't even gotten any sleep overnight. Lonnie's boyfriend was over and the lout was probably still asleep in bed, considering the late hour they had kept – right at Bonnie's headboard. Mother never said anything when her older girls had their boyfriends over, yet if she were to linger too long on the porch with a date… They couldn't say it was her age either. Her sisters had brought boys home overnight before they were eighteen and somehow were never chastised about it. Then too it seemed her mother had conveniently forgotten that she had reached that all-important age herself. She seemingly labored under the impression that she was perpetually fifteen, not eighteen, not a legal adult. If it were not for the fact Daddy was going to pay her way through college she would have been out the door already.

Just a few more months, then she would be moving away to at least live in a dorm. Noisy music, horny college boys, parties and whatever, it would be pure bliss compared to the living hell she had to put up with at home. Perhaps she could go even one better. Maybe she could convince Daddy to get her a real apartment. Then she wouldn't have to worry about roommates or parties and if there were any randy frat boys involved it was because she brought them home for herself.

Danika, one of the new Sophomores on the cheer squad fell into step with Bonnie as she passed her house. The morning was bright, but cold so she had on a puffy, silver jacket. Never mind she had on thin, skin tight jeans beneath the rounded shape of the stylish jacket, it was all about the look and she looked like she should have been carrying a shivering Chihuahua instead of a small stack of books.

"Morning Bonnie." She said sweetly, still managing to seem as if her nose was stuck straight up in the air.

Bonnie just looked sidelong at the perky, skinny blonde through slitted eyes. She couldn't even muster the energy to growl a response. There was too much on her mind at the moment to be bothered with a girl who was a rising star even if only in her own mind.

"Oh, PMSing much?" Danika asked, grinning slightly.

"I am not PMSing." Bonnie finally growled. "I'm just putting up with too much crap lately."

"Humph. Sounds like you're PMSing." She looked around at her face as Bonnie shot her another dirty look. "Looks like you're PMSing. Oh, that's right, you're that way all month long."

"Okay, maybe I'm PMSing a little. Just drop it, Okay Dan."

"Sure, just take a Midol or something before you bite somebody's head off." The younger girl said, almost dismissively.

"I said drop it." Bonnie said, her anger flaring a little brighter.

Danika changed the subject, though more because it suited her than honoring Bonnie's request. "So, anyone ask you out to the Winterfest Dance yet?"

"No, You?"

"I'm going with Chad Carter. He asked me Tuesday, the moment we got back from Winter Vay-cay."

"A senior. Lucky you." Bonnie growled softly, wishing the pert sophomore would latch onto another senior this particular morning. Still, most of the new girls had hitched their stars with Bonnie, especially since Kim had to sit on the sidelines for a while month because of her broken ankle. It still wasn't enough to break the voting block of Kim, Ron, Tara and Hope, but things might change before the school year was over.

"So, why don't you ask Ron out or something?"

"Say what?" Bonnie was openly shocked the girl would even suggest it.

"You know, Ron Stoppable, the mascot. He's kind of cute. He's tall, but not too tall. That blonde hair of his…I just want to run my fingers through it sometimes."

"Earth to Dan! Have you been living in a cave? You're talking about the most unavailable guy in the whole school, if not the whole county." She caught herself, suddenly realizing she was protesting because of their relationship, not the fact the girl was actually suggesting Ron Stoppable as a potential date.

It took a feat of pure concentration to keep the sour look on her face, to keep walking as she pondered that thought. Goofy looking, nerdy, random, weird. That's how she always thought of Ron, ever since they first met in Middle School. He was always a little boy, younger than most of his classmates because his birthday was so late in the summer. A few days later and he would have been a full year behind her. Like it or not, when his name was mentioned to her, that's what she saw in her mind's eye.

That was, until they spent a week training at that school in Japan. For the first time she realized she really didn't have any enmity towards him personally. In fact, she realized that perhaps she had missed out on what could have been a true friend all these years. They even spent the entire flight back talking to each other, even giving each other's hand a slight squeeze from time to time.

Now that she thought about it, she had to admit Danika was right. He did look halfway decent now. Taller, a little better filled out. He wasn't quite to hottie status but cute? Yes, he could be described as cute now. She almost had to stop herself from shaking her head to clear that image.

All that lasted until they came home. Then they left the plane and there she was, waiting for him. In an instant, watching the two of them embrace and kiss all of the bad feelings came flowing back to her. There was the reason for her to dislike the boy. He loved Kim Possible.

Bonnie Rockwaller hated Kim Possible and if Ron could feel love for…that, then he was just as reprehensible as she was.

Wasn't he?

"I don't see rings on either of their fingers." Danika said haughtily.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means it doesn't really matter if they're dating. Until they get engaged that's all they are. That means you can ask all day long and if he says yes, then you win. You would like a chance to win where it comes to Kim Possible, wouldn't you? Sure, she may go all feline on you, but you can take her. She may have those chubby boy-legs…" She stuck her own toothpick thin leg out in comparison. "…but I've seen you doing your Kung-Fu thing. She's not a black-belt, she doesn't even follow any particular discipline"

"That's so not going to happen." Bonnie said. "I may hate her, but Ron isn't going to dump her for…me."

Danika raised an eyebrow at the older girl. "This doesn't sound like the Bonnie I met a few months ago, the Bonnie who was so eager to win over that girl you even goaded her into punching you."

"I wasn't goading her."

"Bull-snap and you know it. Listen to you. It's not 'I'm not interested in him because he's a geek' it's 'oh, I respect them too much and I'm not worthy anyway.' See what I'm saying?"

"I am not. I don't like him that much."

The skinny blonde shook her head. "Sounding to me like we may have picked the right captain for the squad after all. You just don't have what it takes to go the distance, do you?"

"What did you say?" Bonnie snarled.

"You heard me. You hate Possible and you've got a way to hurt her and I'm not stupid, I know how wrapped up she is with Ron. You get him away from her and it's going to hurt her a lot worse than the time she spent nursing that foot. You don't have to have him very long anyway, just long enough to prove your point to her."

Bonnie stopped and turned on the younger girl. "What is it you're getting out of this? Why all the sudden are you trying to play queen-bitch?"

Danika returned her gaze with a twisted smirk. "Because the Queen-Bee is getting old and sooner or later she's going to get driven out of the nest and when that happens." She held her hands apart, clearly indicating she thought herself the next potential captain once Bonnie and Kim had graduated and moved on.

Now Bonnie understood what she had seen in this girl before. She had a certain spark, a sort of ruthlessness she recognized in herself.

Yet, Danika was in fact right. The first thing that came to her mind when Ron was suggested as a potential date was his relationship. Somehow she had actually come to grudgingly respect it.

How did that happen?

Bonnie's eyes narrowed again. A tiny spark of distrust started to fan into a bigger flame. Something had happened to her in Japan and somehow she didn't think it had to go with how nice a guy Ron was. No, something else, something bigger was going on there. Why was she really called there? Certainly it wasn't Hirotaka. They went on a date while she was there, but that wasn't anything that would justify her being let in on such a great secret. It wasn't even the fact she studied Karate. The school made it very clear that her particular skills were distinctly incompatible with Ninjitsu.

No, it was the boy. Some how, some way it had something to do with Ron Stoppable. She was certain of it.

The tiny flame of distrust caught and fanned into a larger flame of anger. Wreathed in that flame was a face. It was a face she wouldn't, couldn't regard as beautiful or even pretty. To her it was a big, round lollipop face with a silly grin, a face too big for her boyish figured body.

Danika was right. This would be a way to punish Kim. Yet, Bonnie was smart. She knew that it would take a lot more than just shaking her bootie at him, waving her chest in his face. He was too loyal to Kim, let alone being so obviously head over heels in love with her. No, this would take planning and guile.

The end, she knew, would never be in doubt. When Bonnie Rockwaller sets her mind to something, she will succeed.

Oh yes, she will succeed.

If you had told her six months ago that she was going to set out to win Ron Stoppable's heart she would have called you insane…after smacking you across the face.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	4. Part IV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part IV**

* * *

_I can do this._

_I can bake a cake that tastes like a chocolate cloud._

_I can ace a geometry test even though I don't have a head for math!_

_I can do this. Really, I can!_

Ron stared into this dresser mirror, trying to understand what he was doing wrong. It didn't make sense to him though it was supposed to be really simple. All he had to do was nod at his little buddy Rufus and he would be on his shoulder helping him. He simply didn't want to do that. For once, he wanted to accomplish this on his own.

Why was he having a serious feeling of déjà vu?

Letting out a sigh he unbuttoned the tips of his white collar and turned them up. The neck button was already fastened, but that was the easy part. He actually hated wearing shirts this way, They felt too tight on his throat even though the neck was the correct size. It wouldn't even matter if he bought shirts an inch or two big, he'd still feel confined with the collar done up.

Flip and twist and fold and pull. He looked in the mirror at his handiwork. Well, it looked a lot more like a knot, kind of like what was called a square knot. Only he'd been going for a more fashion forward half-Windsor. Well, close enough, only the top was going to show over his jacket anyhow.

No, this just wouldn't do. The back was far longer than the front and that was only down to the middle of his chest. Growling slightly he undid his tie once more.

Rufus sat on the edge of his dresser, looking up at his human proudly. This day could be the culmination of so much effort. Sure, there was still graduation to get to, but this was the first step in what would come after. If he could succeed today, he would be on his way to true manhood and, in his own mind, become more worthy of the woman who loved him.

In his case it was actually quite a big accomplishment. There were times when it was very likely this day would either never come or would be relegated to the local community college at best. There had been a real scare the first time he had taken the SATs during his junior year, but some serious study and some even more serious boosts to his ego and confidence had made a huge difference. His scores were still a little on the average side, but they were enough to get him in the door.

Now it was up to him to make the difference.

If he could only tie that blasted knot correctly!

The little Naked Mole Rat sat there, knowing Ron had to do this himself. He understood that. It was fine when he climbed up there and helped him get ready for Temple once he decided he had outgrown clip-ons, but this was different. Completely different.

"I can go this, little buddy." He said, wrapping his tie around the back of his neck again. Rufus just held up a claw in an approximation of a thumbs-up sign.

_Would I be weird if I pointed it out that Naked Mole Rats are not supposed to have opposable digits?_ He thought with a slight chuckle. Then he laughed out loud, remembering one of the first things his beloved had ever said to him. "You're weird, but I like you." He sighed again and made another go at the knot. This time the it came out looking right, though the length was even worse than before. The tail of the tie was hanging way down past his belt.

He looked down and noticed Rufus was holding a book open. It was instructions for tying a neck-tie. Sure, he could easily read what was written there, but the instructions just didn't jibe with the way his brain worked.

This was supposed to be easy. Easier than tying a bow-tie.

He had to smile about that. The last time he had worn a bow tie was their Junior Prom. That was the beginning. That's when they kissed. That's when they first told each other what they had been holding inside for so long. That's when they told each other "I love you."

This time when he looked in the mirror he had the length right, but the knot looked, well, afflicted was the word kids would use for it. To him it just looked corrupt. It wasn't even qualified to be the acceptable messy knot, the loose square he managed earlier. No, he wanted to look good. The tie was a nice bright one, a design made by a famous muscician before he passed away some years ago. His shirt was bright blue with white French cuffs and collar. His dark slacks were brand new with a fresh crease and his freshly polished dress shoes could have been used as a mirror. He was going to look right for this. He did it, mostly on his own and it was going to be done correctly.

He tried one last time for the tie. This time, though, strong feminine fingers reached around his neck and started guiding his hands. In a few deft moves the tie finally came together with a nice solid but narrow knot and the length just right. Those slender fingers tucked the tail into the tag so it wouldn't flop around behind the front and smoothed it on his chest.

"There." Kim said, her palms lingering on his chest for a moment. "My little man looks sooooo good all dressed up."

"Little man?" he repeated. "KP, that sounds just like my mother."

"I know. That's why I said it. Boys are supposed to find women just like their mothers anyway, so why not?"

"Why not?" He laughed, "Cause whoever first said that was sick and wrong. You are so not my Mom."

Kim picked up a pair of glasses off his desk. He needed them on rare occasions when he was tired and his stigmatism made reading a little more difficult. Sometime in the future he was going to have to wear them, probably full-time just like his parents, though a bit of vanity in him wanted to delay that as long as possible.

She slipped them on. They made her already huge green eyes look even bigger, though the prescription was very mild. With one hand she reached behind her head and gathered her hair together, making it seem a little shorter. It was clear she was mimicking his mother, though she wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"For that, I'm not going to kiss you." He said, sitting on his bed to check his shoes one more time.

Kim sat down beside him, opening her purse. She pulled out two nineteen-ninety two pennies. The were shiny on the outer edges, but tarnished in the middle.

"What are those, KP?"

"These are for luck. I had them in my penny loafers on the luckiest day of my life. Daddy put them in my shoes that morning, though they were shiny and new then."

"Okay, that's sweet and all, but my shoes aren't penny loafers."

She nuzzled his ear as she pulled his battered old wallet out of his back pocket. Normally, she would have been embarrassed if he pulled something that bedraggled from his pocket, especially when he was dressed as nicely as he was now but she knew his Grandfather had given him that just a few months before he passed away. Ron would likely carry that wallet until it absolutely fell apart and even then Kim figured she would find a way to stitch parts of it into a new one.

She tucked the two pennies deep into an unused pocket. Ron only kept his drivers license, student ID and an ATM card in there since most of the time he had cash it spent wadded up in his front pockets instead. "There, now you won't get them mixed up with your regular change." She folded the old leather back down and returned it to his pocket, letting her hand linger there for a moment.

"Mmmm, I like what they did you to at Yamanuchi." Kim purred. "Tighter buns in thirty days."

"He takes after his father." Jean Stoppable said as she stepped into the room to take a look at her freshly dressed and groomed son. I nice dress shirt and slapped on tie was what she got to see when they actually got the boy to go to Temple (which had been a great deal more regularly since he had been going with Kim every other week.)

Kim turned bright crimson, her hands instantly snapping into her lap.

"Oh, Kim, don't mind me. If you weren't admiring his backside I'd have to wonder what was wrong with you. Even I noticed how good it looked when he came back from Japan."

"Mom!" Ron squeaked.

"Oh hush you." She said as she gathered up some of his dirty clothes. "Can't a mother be proud her boy is finally turning into a man."

"A man with a nice tight…" Kim giggled, enjoying the chance to make Ron blush, which he was doing quite nicely.

"See, this is why I think of your girlfriend as an honorary Nice Jewish Girl, Ronnie. She knows what's really important. She's got to have a good man who is true, who is good to her and who has a really nice butt."

By that point Ron was shielding his eyes behind his large hands, looking like he was about to crawl under the bed. Two women discussing the shape and consistency of his gluteus maximus, especially one of them being his mother, was just a bit too much for him to take.

"Have you had breakfast, Kim?"

"Yes Ma'am, Mrs. Stoppable. Mom about won't let me out of the house unless I eat."

"Well, if you want anything, I've got bagels and jam and I've got a fresh pot of coffee on. It's Hazelnut."

"Please and thank you." She got up to follow the elder Stoppable downstairs. "Come on, Ron, you need something in your stomach. If you're hungry, your nerves will just make it worse."

"Oh, I don't know, KP. When Mom doe's schmeer she doesn't kid around. Don't want all those calories to go right to my butt." For emphasis he waggled that particular body part.

"Quit playing around, Mr. Atlas. I've seen you eat enough Nacos in one sitting to feed a family of four for a week." She grabbed his tie and gently pulled him along. Rufus hopped off the chest of drawers and trotted right after them.

Ron's mind seemed to be everywhere at once, though peculiarly it wasn't on the interview he was going to. Instead it seemed focused to the odd feeling he had while he was getting dressed. Bits and pieces of some half-remembered dream filtered back to him, troubling him. Most of all he could remember the desperate sadness that permeated the memory, a sadness his logical, awake mind just couldn't comprehend.

He watched as Kim munched on half a toasted bagel covered in a thin layer of cream cheese. Besides the occasional potato pancakes, this was the most Jewish their diet ever got, and the bagels had much more to do with being easy to deal with than any part of a kosher diet. If he restricted himself strictly to allowed foods, he would likely shrivel up and blow away.

"Kim, when we get into college, do you think you might be attracted to, well, there'll be a lot of guys who're older and smarter and…"

"Ron. No. Well, yes I'll be attracted but no, I don't care what they look like because I've already got the most attractive guy."

"Thanks, Kim. I know you're just saying that because you love me."

"Ron, look at me. Come on, look right at me." She locked her green eyes into his. "Yes, I'm saying that because I love you, but I'm also saying it because I've come to think of your face as the most beautiful I've ever seen. I saw your face every day you were gone and I counted the days until you were back and it's your face I was looking for in the airport." She got up and lightly sat on his leg, putting her hand gently on his cheek. "Your having a spankin bod now is a bonus." She whispered. Jean obviously overheard, as she was grinning from ear to ear but she otherwise ignored the two lovebirds.

Ron excused himself and headed upstairs. Soon they'd have to leave so Ron could drop Kim off at school. He'd been excused for the first half of the day for the interview.

"Poor Ronnie. Just like his father with the nervous bladder." Jean shook her head as she took Kim's empty plate.

"That's funny, cause when we're on missions he can go hours at a time without a break. Unless I mention it, then he's got to find a place quick."

Jean nodded and topped off Kim's coffee. She still couldn't understand how a girl her age preferred her java plain and black. She sat down and started pouring sugar and half-n-half into her own cup. "Kim, you don't know how terribly sorry I am for the things I said last summer."

"Mrs. Stoppable, it's no big…really. To be honest, before I realized how much Ron meant to me, it really might have been true."

"It's not now. I can see that." She leaned close for a whisper, "That's what that Honorary Nice Jewish girl crack was about. I used to think that was important for him. Turns out the only one that would have been important about is for me. Now, if you ever wanted to convert, then that would be nice, but you don't have to. Not on my account at least."

"Well. I have thought about it a little. Haven't seriously considered it, but I have thought about it. The Rabbi talked about it a little bit when we were talking about our different faiths."

"Um hmm. That sounds like Gerry. He really likes you kids. Now, his wife, when Phoebe starts dating, let me tell you, if that boy isn't Jewish she's going to be hell on wheels."

"Uh oh." Kim giggled.

"Uh oh what?" She asked, taking a gulp of her coffee.

It was Kim's turn to lean in for a conspiratorial whisper. "Brian goes to my church."

Both Jean's eyebrows went up over her glasses. She didn't say anything, just took another long drink from her mug.

Finally she put the cup down and asked, "When do you think the two of you will get married?"

Kim almost spit her own brew out but recovered. It wasn't 'do you think,' but 'when?' "I don't know yet. We've sort of talked about talking about it and I can't imagine us not eventually tying the knot, but not right away."

"Sometimes when I look at the two of you together I already see the two of you married." Jean said, almost wistfully.

"Mrs. Stoppable, we're only seventeen."

"Seventeen going on twenty-five. Kim, and this is no cut on you, but you and your Mom look about five years apart. I just can't reconcile the fact your parents are only months apart in age…or the fact I'm only five years older than her."

"Mrs…"

"Kim, please, call me Jean."

"Jean, you don't look a day over thirty."

She leaned towards the younger woman. "Lying isn't pretty on you." She said with a large smile.

Kim smiled right back at her. She was actually a little shocked that Ron's mother was actually forty-eight.

She heard a door shut upstairs and could hear Ron coming back down.

"Jean, tell me something, if you don't mind me asking, but what exactly are you and Mr. Stoppable doing in Denver?"

The elder Stoppable took another long drink of her coffee and answered just as Ron came back into the kitchen. "I think we'll be ready to tell the both of you soon…but not yet."

"What's that, Mom?" Ron asked, putting a hand on Kim's shoulder. The way it disappeared under his big paw really hammered home just how tiny the young woman really was.

"Soon, Ron, we'll talk about it soon." She said. "Now you two run along." She got up and kissed her son on the cheek, putting her hand on Kim's other shoulder. "Good luck, Son. Knock 'em dead."

She gave him a nice pat on his rump as they got up to leave. She smiled at Kim. "Yep, you're a lucky girl there Kim."

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	5. Part V

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part V**

* * *

"Are you sure this car is as sexy as you were trying to say?" Ron said, looking down between the bucket seats. Being one of the last rear-wheel drive compacts, the car still had the huge hump down the middle, plus, right between the narrow bucket seats was a stick shift (with somebody else's monogram instead of the shift pattern) and a parking brake lever. "Look, we can't even hold hands when I'm driving since I have to work the gears and don't get me started on having to work the clutch right."

"Ron, don't be a baby. No, this car isn't sexy but it runs and you could afford it without begging your Dad for your trust fund money. Would you rather walk to Middleton College this morning?" She waved her hand at the steady drizzle running down the windshield of the little car.

They were parked right at the covered walkway at the main entrance of Middleton High. They were still twenty minutes shy of the first bell so Kim was loath to leave the meager heat put out by the old hatchback, or the greater heat put out by her boyfriend. Even though it was awkward she leaned over and put her head on his shoulder, resting a hand on his thigh. She wanted to do everything she possibly could to relax him before his interview.

"KP, what if I blow this?"

"Shhhhh. You can't possibly blow this. If they didn't want you, they wouldn't have called for this interview. They called you, remember?"

"But you didn't have to go to one of these. I just get the feeling our whole future is going to turn on what happens today."

"Ronnie, Honey. Look at me." She pulled his chin up so he could meet her eyes. "I love you whether you're going to Middleton College with me next fall or whether you're just going to the community college. Out future is together no matter what, you understand?"

"Sure, it's just…I just don't feel like I measure up to you sometimes."

Kim pulled him closer and kissed him. She'd made sure just to put on clear lip balm that morning instead of lipstick just so she wouldn't chance messing him up.

"Ron, I think the next time we sit down with Rabbi Katz, we need to have a nice long talk about your self-esteem. You measured up a long time ago. Now there's nothing wrong with improving yourself, but you are not now nor have you ever been a failure. Getting into MC is a really big thing and it's also tough. Don't think for a minute I didn't have to interview, it's just I went before we were officially together so I didn't mention it to you then."

"I thought you were a 'double-legacy' since your parents went there." Ron said, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply.

"That's what they thought, but it's gotten too competitive these days, so I had to get in on my own merits." She leaned back a little and caressed his cheek. A little giggle escaped her lips as she ran across a tiny patch of rough stubble. He had finally crossed into the realm of having to shave every day. For a moment she tried picturing him with a beard, but just couldn't quite imagine him that way.

She fixed him with her eyes, holding both his cheeks. "Listen, I just want you to go in there and be yourself, okay? Don't worry about whether you get in today. He's not going to tell you, at least not right away. If it helps, just think about the school ski trip weekend after next. You can do that, can't you?"

"I like." He said with a silly grin. "Especially if we can get away from the chaperones."

She touched the tip of her nose to his. "I can do anything…and so can you. Now I've got to go raid my locker before class, so let's save some of this for our date tonight." She kissed his cheek and leaned in closer to his ear, "We've got to break this car in, you know. Knock 'em dead, Baby."

Monique stood just under the awning waiting for her as the little car chugged away. "Girl, what on Earth were you thinking making him get that particular car?"

"That bad?"

"It's a good thing you've decided to shun the whole 'food chain' thing, cause that thing would have knocked you right off."

Kim turned and looked as the gray car turned out of the lot, headed across town to the college. "It was really just a numbers thing, Mon. I have Wade run some calculations of insurance costs and what was available that he could buy for cash and that was the only thing we came up with."

"Well, I guess it's better than that old heap of his mother's, though I can't see the two of you taking that thing out parking or anything. Is it the least bit comfortable?"

"To ride around in? It's okay. As for what you're thinking, there's a parking brake sticking up right in the middle, and the back seat? If we were going to be doing anything besides kissing we'd have to be contortionists."

"Still just kissing the poor boy." Monique said, shaking her head slightly. "And you two have been together how long?"

Kim stopped to think a moment. "Seven and a half months."

"Mmm, hmm. More like about a year or so. I think you could count all the way back to when you realized how awful you felt when he started hanging out with Felix on your date nights."

"Those weren't dates." Kim said defensively. "I was just used to hanging out with Ron, that's all."

"The only difference between then and now is you two are kissing and holding hands and…doing that thing that sounds like it'd chafe."

"Monique!" Kim hissed. "We've only done that a couple times…you know, special occasions."

Her friend shook her head a little harder. "Look, the two of you love each other so much, why not let nature take its course. Both of you'll feel better. Trust me."

"It's not that simple for me. At least for now we're waiting until we turn eighteen. Besides, Ron's starting to…well…"

"Something's getting on your nerves?"

"Well…yeah." Kim finally admitted.

"Should I call the school paper? I can see the headlines now; 'The Honeymoon is Over, Could the Big Breakup be Far?'"

"Mon, it's not like I'm going to break up with him over every little quibble I have. In fact, that's what's starting to bug me."

"What, that you're afraid you'll break up?"

"No, not quite. This morning he asked me if I was going to leave him for some college guy. See, that's what's bothering me. His self-esteem is so low he thinks I don't love him enough. Either that, or he's implying I can't even look at a good looking guy."

"If he ever breaks out with that all you have to do is ban him from even looking at the other cheerleaders or ever picking up the 'swimsuit issue' ever again, cause you know he's got to be looking."

"That's not the problem, Mon. I just think if it keeps going on like this it's going to hurt us in the long run. See, I'm not going to dump him over this, but, I don't know, maybe he could get this strange notion in his head he's not good enough for me and ends up doing something ferociously stupid like dumping me for my own good."

"Now who's the one thinking too much. Kim, look at him. I mean take an honest look at him, forget for the moment you love him."

"Doesn't work that way, Mon."

"Well, okay, then I'll just tell you. Ron may be the greatest guy on the planet and he may be pretty good looking if you really get right down to it, but he's not the best looking or the smartest. He's a whole package kinda guy and you fell in love with that, but he doesn't see himself that way and it's not entirely his fault. Even when you two started officially dating he was still kind of small and a bit goofy looking and since his birthday is so late in the summer he's always been a little younger than all his friends. You didn't see that since your birthday is just a week before his. Kim, he's trying to overcome seventeen years of training to believe he's a second tier loser.

"Look at what happened last spring, too. He saw what happened the moment you laid eyes on you-know-who. I was sitting right there too. You took one look and your eyes got big as saucers and you had a goofy expression on your face that would give Ron's goofiest a run for the money. Now take the fact Ron was standing right there looking at the two of you, wishing he could get that reaction from you and knowing it wasn't going to happen."

"But…I…Ron."

"Yeah, I know, you love him now but you didn't know that then. You probably had a thought in the back of your mind he would always just be a friend and he wasn't even considered boyfriend material, right?"

"You're sounding like my mother now." Kim said dangerously.

"I think the boy lives in mortal fear that some day somebody is going to walk up to you and you're going to go all ape again."

"But I feel that way about Ron now. I miss him already and he's been gone five minutes." Kim spun the dial on her locker almost absently.

Monique rolled her eyes up into her head. "I know that and deep inside he knows that too, but since you've been with him so long now I don't think he'll ever actually see that kind of reaction out of you all at once. It can't be helped, it's just the way the two of you came together. Look, I don't have an easy answer for you. Maybe this is something the two of you are going to have to work on, maybe for a long time to come."

Kim laughed a little. "Maybe on our fiftieth anniversary I'll lean over and say 'Hey, look, I stuck by you, pretty boy.'"

"There you go. Now, maybe what we need to do is get the two of you alone with no interruptions. Maybe even make it a 'special occasion.'"

"You're not letting that go, are you?"

"No, cause I still think that boy is going to explode by the time he's eighteen and you know what they say about those stick shift cars."

"MO-NIQUE!"

"Just playin' ya girl. Hey, see you after class. Dude-boy gonna be back for lunchtime?"

"He's supposed to be. Later."

Kim turned toward her class shaking her head. Ever since her friend had started exploring her womanhood with her boyfriend, she had been on a mission to get her and Ron together that way. It was a pleasant thought and she did want that, but there was still the issue about them being just seventeen. True there were lots of people her age who already had lots of experience by that age, but that just wasn't her.

They had been to the point of almost taking that step before and for some reason they backed down. Much as she desired Ron, she was frightened beyond words when it really came down to it. She was frightened of the pain, frightened over how she might feel afterwards, perhaps even frightened how Ron would feel afterwards (though if all the stuff about guys was to be believed then that shouldn't be a problem.)

There was also the fact she loved her parents. Her father made it quite plain there were certain things minors were not supposed to do and he had shown an immense amount of trust toward her when it came to Ron and so far she had not abused that trust. She'd taken it to the breaking point on some occasions but she had never crossed that line.

She kept telling herself that if Ron ever asked she'd agree in a heartbeat, no matter the consequences but she wondered if they would really go through with it. Ron was starting to talk about waiting even for marriage and that was fine with her, though somehow she was getting the impression that some people were starting to assume they would elope the moment they turned eighteen. Much as she loved him, she wasn't ready for that. They needed to get a few years of just being boyfriend and girlfriend under their belts before they made it forever.

Though somehow that just didn't seem right. She wanted forever already. She wanted the happy ending in all the fairy tales.

"Yep, Kimderella." She said to herself as she entered her first class. "Except I'd probably have Ron trying to put the Valkyrie 1000 shoes on my instead of a glass slipper." She whispered as she took her seat.

She was a bit surprised when a short, white haired man in an old brown suit walked into the room just as the bell rang. He put a briefcase down on the teacher's desk and faced the class.

"Good morning. I am Doctor Snyder and I will be taking over this class for the remainder of this school year. I know some of you are accustomed to receiving top-level grades on a regular basis, but as this is supposed to be a college level class, I believe it should require college level work. I'm not here to ask you to do your best. I'm here to make you better than that and to do that we are going to work harder than you ever have before. Your best might not be good enough and if it isn't, your grades will reflect that."

His eyes scanned the room, finally coming to rest on Kim's. "Some of you may have been coasting and you didn't even know it. That stops today. I'm sure each and every one of you are taking this course in order to get a jump on college. That's fine. That's good. College starts today and you're all responsible adults as far as I'm concerned.

"I have one rule. See that brief case? When the bell rings at the end of my class I will close and lock it. Now, I don't care if you come to my class and sit here like a bump on a log. I don't care if you don't even show up, though the school regulations say you have to be here anyway. That's between you and the rest of the administration. I'm here during class to teach you and if you want to partake then that's your business. During class I will give you an assignment. It may be a short little thing, it may be just one or two lines you have to write. It may be a ten-thousand word essay. The day that assignment is due, it's going to be in that briefcase when I lock it and leave or you get a zero for that assignment. That's it. No excuses, period. I don't care if you're out sick, I don't care if your car breaks down. That's not my responsibility. Your one and only responsibility to me is to have your work in my hands when it's due. Oh, and it has to be quality work, but that's another issue we will be getting into."

He pulled a stack of papers from the briefcase and started passing them around. "This is your new syllabus. Throw away the old one, it has no bearing whatsoever on what we will cover in these last remaining months. We have a lot of ground to cover, especially with so much ground to make up. It's time to tell your boyfriends and girlfriends that play-time is over. There's work to be done." For some reason he focused on Kim again. "More for some than others."

Kim read over the printout, which for some reason appeared to have been run off with an old-fashioned mimeograph machine instead of a modern printer. That didn't matter, what did was the schedule that had been set for the remaining five months of school. There was more work there than she had done in all six classes the previous half-year.

"We will begin with the first assignment on Monday." He started handing out copies of the book they were going to be working from. They were paperback and looked like they had never been touched, meaning there would be no old notes to be gleaned from them. "I'll also warn you, I know every word written in every Cliff's Notes ever printed so I'll know the difference if you've just read those things. Don't bother, those things were written for idiots and I don't think any of you would have qualified for this class if you were. So, first assignment, due Monday by the final bell. I want five hundred words on the first ten chapters. Don't care what you talk about, just make it worth my time to read. Now, you can spend the rest of this period reading or yapping on your phones…don't care about that rule this year, I'm a teacher, not a cop. You want to yack on those things then go right ahead. Just have the assignment on time.

"Oh, and by the way, this is the last time I will leave you like this. I'm not cruel. Go on your dates this weekend and tell them this might be it for a while. After all, you'll still need to set aside time for your other classes." With that he closed his briefcase and sat down behind the desk, eying the class warily.

Kim looked at the assignment sheet and the two-inch thick book on her desk.

What just happened?

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	6. Part VI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part VI**

* * *

"…and then when the Health Inspector saw Rufus he really didn't know what to think. They huddled together for a while and finally sent somebody to look up exactly what he is." Ron said animatedly

"And that is?" The man prompted.

"He's a naked mole rat." He said, as if that explained everything.

"So you're telling me that you had an African rodent actually helping serve gourmet food in your high school cafeteria?"

"Yes sir. In the end it was the rodent part they focused on. They said either he had to go or they'd shut me down."

The man nodded and scribbled more notes. "So then, why not just leave your pet at home and continue with what you were doing?"

Ron fought down the urge to rub the back of his neck. "I, uh, kinda got the impression I would have been hurting somebody if I went on like that."

The man looked up from his notes. "Let me get this straight. You not only took over the school cafeteria but turned it into a gourmet restaurant using only the poor quality equipment they have to work with there then you turned around and let it be shut down because it was hurting somebody? Mr. Stoppable, I'm a bit confused."

"Well, you see, Mr. Reynolds. Kim is used to pretty much being able to do anything. Turns out she can do anything but cook. Last summer she tried cooking me dinner, even got one of her friends to help and well, that didn't help."

"Cooking you dinner? Kim you said? That wouldn't happen to be Kim Possible, would it?"

"Yes sir. You know about Kim?"

"Who doesn't. You mean to tell me The Kim Possible was cooking you dinner?" He put his pen down, the notes forgotten for the moment.

"Uh, sure. I'd been paying for all of our dates so she decided it was her turn."

Mr. Reynolds narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the young man sitting across the desk from him. "You are dating Kim Possible?"

Ron's eyes narrowed a little at the tone of his question. "Um, yeah. We've been together ever since we took down Drakken last spring.

The man looked over his glasses at him. "Well I'll be. I'm afraid I didn't recognize you in person. You're…taller than I expected."

"Um, well, I did grow four inches since then and I went up a shirt size. Mom's been going nuts with my clothes, though it's a good thing I mostly wear really loose stuff."

His interviewer was now leaning on his desk. "So you are Kim Possible's sidekick. Amazing. My daughter is a really big fan of hers. Even dressed up as her on Halloween and she's been begging me to let her dye her hair red."

"Wow. Um, yeah, I'm her sidekick, though since we've been dating she calls me her partner."

"Huh. Maybe if you were wearing a black turtleneck or…" he smacked his forehead. "Your Mole Rat, why didn't I see that." He picked up his pen and considered it for a moment. "This makes what I've got to tell you rather uncomfortable."

Ron's heart sank. That didn't have the sound of well-boding.

"Mr. Stoppable…Ron. You have the most amazing raw talent I have seen in a long time and that is saying something, let me tell you. That alone has gotten you in the door. You see, the problem is in the numbers."

Ron started to get up. "I'm sorry if I've wasted your time."

"Ron, sit down, please. What I'm talking about, these numbers. I just can't get past them at the moment. Your grades this year are stellar. They almost beg the question whether you are the same person shown in the records from before.

"See, that's the problem. That's the numbers I just can't get around. Your late improvement notwithstanding, your grades, at least up until the first half of your Junior year were, quite frankly, terrible. I don't even know how you were promoted some years. However, given the kind of record you have shown in, I'd say, the last ten months to a year, combined with the talent you have demonstrated, merits at least some consideration.

"You are not wasting my time. I'm the one who has gone to bat for you and additionally let me assure you I had no idea of your affiliation with Kim Possible beforehand. I am keeping your file open right now, meaning you can still be considered for a spot in the school. That doesn't mean you are in. In fact you still have a fairly difficult road ahead of you.

"In three months I want to sit down with you again. If you can keep your grades where they are now or better and if you take the SATs again and get your score over a thousand, then I will recommend you to the acceptance board.

"You mean I have to take the SAT again?" Ron said, wrinkling his nose slightly.

Reynolds nodded. "I know, I know, it's just a standardized test and I wholeheartedly agree that it's not a good measure of a student's success. I've known students who scored in the high thirteens who have gone on to do poorly in college, while I've seen students with scores like yours excel but like I said, it all comes down to numbers. Give me something to work with and I'm going to go to bat for you. I'm on your side. I see the talent you've got and I don't want to see it get wasted."

Ron could barely hear him by that point. He was flashing back to last spring when Kim had almost bodily dragged him to the test. Of course, she scored in the high fifteens and wouldn't ever have to take the blasted thing again. He finished just under nine-hundred, doing better on the English portion than he did the math. It was only the weeks leading up to that test were not his favorite. He was dealing with the Yori issue and Kim had been fretting over the disappearance of the people who were usually willing to transport them all over the globe. Coupled with the fact he thought the two of them were starting to drift apart, it was a time he would rather not revisit.

Only now, no matter what Kim said to him that morning, he knew that she had a hard time being apart from him. In fact, it seemed she had a worse time of it than he did. When he had come home from Wannaweep as a small boy, all of the terror he experienced there overshadowed the fact she had been at home missing him terribly. They had been going to school together now since they were very small, even taking all of their classes together their Junior year. Even if he were going to the community college across town, it meant they would be spending more time apart than they ever did before and as much as he knew that would hurt him it would be worse on Kim. They had to go to school together, they just had to!

That meant only one thing to him. He had to succeed. The smiling man sitting on the other side of the desk had spelled it out in black and white. If such a person recommended you to the acceptance board, that was almost a sure thing, at least to his mind. Keep up the grades, do better on the SAT. In fact, even if he tanked on the English portion, if he brought the Math part up high enough and they combined the better score for each, he would do it.

He was afraid, deathly afraid of taking the test again but he would do it anyway. Anything for Kim, anything to be with her.

"You can count on my, Mr. Reynolds. I'll take the test again and I'll do it so I won't even need my grades."

"Oh, don't be so cavalier about your grades. To me they're much more important than the test. I told you, you need both." Reynolds warned him. "Look, these spots are highly coveted. I'm going out on a limb for you. I see potential, more so than most but like it or no, I've got numbers to produce myself. Don't let me down, son."

"I won't sir. This fall, they're going to start saying 'Booyah' instead of 'Bam!' over there."

Reynolds nodded, smiling. He knew talent and drive when he saw it.

* * *

Steve Barkin rubbed his forehead as he fumbled for his key to the Teacher's Lounge. Despite the lack of Stoppable in his first period class, he was nursing the beginnings of a headache. _No, that wasn't fair_ he told himself. Ron Stoppable had ceased being a thorn in his side and had become one of his greater successes of late. It pleased him immensely, though he wasn't going to breath a word of that to the boy until after he got handed his diploma.

The door finally opened and he stepped inside. Reflexes took over and his whole body became as rigid as a flag pole.

"Oh lord, are we going to go through this again?" Wilma Director said as she stirred her coffee.

"At ease, Major." Doctor Snyder said as he packed a stack of papers into his briefcase. "oh, and that's the last time I'm calling you Major, just like I've already told the Lt. Colonel here I'm not calling her that either. You both outrank me here."

"But Colonel…"

"Barkin, all three of us have been out of the service for over a decade. You can call me Doctor Snyder or Professor Snyder or in here just Dean."

"It won't do you any good." Wilma said, taking a sip of her brew. "He's still got a broom up his butt. Took me a month to get him to quit calling me by my former rank."

"Sir, what are you doing here anyway?" Barkin asked, still standing nearly at attention.

"Steve, you don't have to call me sir. If anything the both of you outrank me here. As for why I'm here, the School Board sent me in to fix a little mess you've got going on here."

Principal Director raised an eyebrow. "Mess, what do you mean?"

"You have to ask? Okay, so why don't you get on the horn and give your beloved little sister a call."

"You're talking about Possible, aren't you?" Barkin asked.

"Maybe. When was the last time she went on a mission?" He directed that question at Wilma.

"I don't know what she does in her spare time. All I know is I put a stop to her leaving campus during the school day to participate in these…missions."

"Uh huh. Mighty fine piece of work I might add. Do you have any idea what you've cost this country?"

"I don't really care. The way things were going here she was a danger to the school body and putting herself in danger as well. Everything I have done is according to Board of Education policy and Colorado State law."

"Okay, I'm here to teach AP English, not tell you how to do your job." He said, locking the briefcase.

"Are you saying I'm responsible for stifling her? If I were to allow her to go on a mission and she gets hurt, or she gets her boyfriend hurt, that is going to be on me, plus there was also the issue of her bringing dangerous equipment onto campus."

"Okay, Wilma, you made your point. You're the boss and it's your call."

"As far as Stoppable is concerned, all I can see is how much good this has done him. He's accomplished one of the best academic turnarounds I have ever seen."

"To be fair, Principal Director, he was already starting to turn around before you got here." Barkin said, pouring his own coffee. Noting it was a fresh pot, that meant it was probably made by one of them and considering their past together it promised to be much like he liked it…strong.

"So, Steve, you think all this has to do with his girlfriend?" She asked.

"That, and I would like to think I may have had some small part to play, not to toot my own horn." He replied.

Snyder pulled a pipe from his vest pocket and started tamping it with his thumb. The lounge was the only room in the whole school were smoking was still permitted since it was on a separate ventilation system. The Principal still shot him a withering glare out of habit.

"I don't know much about the boy myself, but it does seem an awful big shame to keep her down like this. The psyche profile I've read seems to suggest that she might start backsliding a little, or at least lose her edge if she's kept out of the game too much." He struck a match and lit the pipe, taking a few puffs of the highly aromatic blend. "Then again, that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here…Dean?" She asked.

"Simple. I'm supposed to whip these AP kids into some semblance of real college students. Nothing more."

"So I suppose Mrs. McHenry wasn't doing that?"

"Wasn't my call. They assigned me here, I'm going to do my job." He said, leaning back and blowing a smoke ring.

Barkin sat down on opposite end of the couch where the principal was seated. Something was up. Wilma Director, a retired Lt. Colonel from his very unit being assigned here could have been a coincidence.

His former commanding officer suddenly appearing under the apparent pretense of teaching a college level class was too much to be one.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	7. Part VII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part VII**

* * *

"See, Rufus, this is why I get here early when I'm driving." Ron said as he circled the parking lot one more time. It was looking more and more like he was going to have to park in the distant Gym parking lot. The Senior spaces were long filled up, as was the rest of the main student lot. His 'new' car may have been small, but there was no way he was going to squeeze it into a small spot like he had his late motorcycle.

"Hrk, dunno." Squeaked the little guy. How he managed to sleep through the entire interview, Ron didn't have a clue.

"Oh cool." He said as he watched an older man with white hair put his briefcase in an unusual open top car and climb in. He waited patiently while the car pulled out and headed away. As the car headed out of sight, he pulled into the space, right at the near corner of the senior lot.

"Huh, maybe he misunderstood what senior lot means, Rufus."

His little pink friend just shrugged.

Ron started to undo his tie, then thought the better of it, looking at himself in the mirror clipped to his sun visor, noticing for the first time the visors were dark brown instead of blood red like the rest of the interior. "So Rufus, old buddy, think I should stay dressed up for Kim tonight? Think she'll pull out that hot little black number for us?"

He shook his tiny bald head. "Hrk, Mush" he squeaked.

"Heh, well let's see what you say when we find you a girlfriend." Ron chided, grinning at Rufus trying to imagine him in a little toy car making out with a female naked mole rat.

He just raised a tiny, almost non-existent eyebrow, pretty much guessing what his human was thinking about. It wasn't exactly kissing he had in mind if he ever found a female Mole Rat and he was still utterly perplexed at why his human and his mate were so fascinated with mashing their lips together instead of getting right down to the business at hand. It had gotten to the point he preferred staying at home, holed up in his habitrail tubes.

Ron licked his hand and slicked his hair back. That held for all of two seconds as his ragged bangs fell back down across his face. It took a lot of hair gel to control his thick, heavy hair, to the point he was even considering a buzz-cut when the weather started getting warm in spring. He said as much to Rufus, who responded by pointing his 'thumb' downwards, making Ron wonder again exactly how a rodent had opposable digits.

He was still primping in the mirror when he was startled by a light tapping on his window. He grabbed the crank and started turning. There was another thing he needed to address about the old car. The window crank needed lubricating in the worst way. Getting the window down even a few inches turned into quite the workout.

"Ron, can you do me a big favor this afternoon?" Bonnie asked as the window stopped about halfway down. She leaned on the edge of the glass. Not enough to worry about it snapping, but just enough to give him a view that made him avert his gaze. Cleavage was not an issue he had to deal with where Kim was concerned.

"Um, sure, what is it?" He asked, deliberately looking her straight in the eyes. That didn't help, since the angle she was leaning made his eyes keep drifting down there.

If she noticed, she didn't seem to care. "I need a ride home this afternoon, I was hoping you could give me a little lift."

"Uh, I'd be glad to, Bonnie, but Kim and I are going home together and, well, would that be wise? I mean, the two of you in a car together?" He said, hoping she would take the hint. There was no way he would refuse a simple favor like that since he drove right past her house anyway, but he didn't relish being in a confined space with those particular females.

"Ron, I'm an adult, I can behave myself for fifteen minutes, but I guess if you can't, you can't." She did her best to look like she was pouting. It wasn't the "puppy-dog-pout" but it still had some power behind it.

"Okay, Bonnie, but if Kim doesn't want to…"

"Fine, like I said, no big deal. I just wanted to get home a little quicker after practice this afternoon. I've got a date tonight and I don't want to go with swollen ankles."

"Bonnie, I said you can, if you can stand sitting in the back." He said, a little perturbed by the thought of the two women bickering.

During their week together at Yamanuchi, for some reason Bonnie started opening up to him a little. By the time they returned they had begun what might be considered the beginnings of a friendship, or at least a bit more of an understanding. Then the moment they were home, she reverted right back to her old self. She didn't call him a loser to his face any more, but she still ignored him unless it suited her.

Just like it seemed to suit her now.

Ron wasn't like that, though. The only thing he really held against the curvy brunette was her constant bickering with Kim. The problem wasn't just with Bonnie either. Kim was capable of giving just as much as she got and when the two of them started really going at it things could get really ugly very quickly.

"Just to let you know, we are going home. We're not stopping at Bueno Nacho or anything."

"Yeah, I got you, Ron. Big dates tonight all around, I understand. Like I said, I want to get on home anyway. Right after practice then?"

"'K, B." he said, rolling the window back up.

"Kim's not going to like this." He said to a skeptical Rufus.

"Uh, uh." He replied, shaking his small head.

* * *

"You did what?" Kim growled as she swapped out some books from her locker.

"KP, it's just fifteen minutes and we drop her off. She asked me nicely and I couldn't think of a good reason to say no."

"How about six years of ridicule at her hands, Ron. She's been just as mean to you as she has been to me." Kim said, opening a container and handing him a sandwich. Most of the lunch period had passed so they would have to eat quickly before fourth period.

Ron picked a bit of cheese off his sandwich and handed it to Rufus, who greedily munched on it. "Kim, that's in the past. Maybe she's trying to grow up a little bit." He shot her a look that suggested maybe she should do the same.

"Okay, okay. It's your car after all. Though if she starts anything I'm kicking her biscuit to the curb." She slammed the door and gave the lock a spin. "Plus I don't want her to make a habit of this. It is your car, not Middleton Public Transportation." Kim took a big bite of her sandwich, pausing to wipe a little mayo off her chin.

Ron sat down on the floor, his back to his locker as he polished off his lunch. "So…" munch, swallow, "How did your day go, KP?"

She followed his lead, sitting beside him so their hips were touching. "Ferociously weird. Without so much as a warning we got a new teacher in English and he'd already on the warpath." She reached into her bag and pulled out the new syllabus. "I don't know when I'm going to have time to breath the next few months, let alone have time to do all my volunteer work and have time to spend with you."

He looked at it, turning it sideways, then straight. "Uh, okay. Never heard of half of these, but isn't that class supposed to be hard?"

"Yeah, it was hard to begin with. Ron, those books are all at least two inches thick and I'm talking paperback. That's one book a week. I may even have to bring some of my work up to Mount Middleton next week."

"We are still on tonight, aren't we?" he asked plaintively.

Kim wrapped her arms around her knees and looked at her boyfriend, noticing for the first time he was still wearing his tie. "Oh God." She rubbed her temples. "I'm such an idiot. How did it go?"

It was Ron's turn to hug his knees. "Okay, I guess. This guy Reynolds kept going on and on about my 'raw talent' but he didn't say much about the program."

"So, do you think you're in? Is he going to recommend you to the acceptance board, or did he tell you."

Ron sighed. "Yes and no. He came right out and said that because of my grades I don't really make the cut."

"O…kay. What else?"

He hung his head slightly. "I've got to keep my grades where they are now or better and I've got to take the SAT again."

Kim shrugged. "Okay, so what? You could stand to do it again, maybe raise your score a few points." She reached over and gave his knee a squeeze.

"I don't know, Kim. I felt so good when I came out of there, but while I was driving…I don't know if I can do this. It almost feels wrong if I'm going to take a more qualified student's spot."

"Ron, listen to me. You're not trying to get into a regular program. You're trying to get into one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the country. They aren't looking so much for the regular run-of-the-mill student. You've got a talent very few people possess. Look at me, I can do anything but cook. There's nothing I'd love more in the world than to sit you down and serve you a good meal, but I've tried that. Lord knows, Ronnie, I've tried."

Grinning, Ron shuddered slightly, earning him a light pop on the same knee she'd just squeezed.

"Anyway, it sounds like they want you, but you've got to give them a little something extra. Taking that test isn't going to kill you. We'll get you ready for it just like we did finals last year."

"Me like." He smiled broadly, remembering how the 'study prep' involved a string bikini and a lot of intense 'reward' based studying.

"Uh huh. Me like too." She cooed at him. "Plus we can work on my English together. I do need a nice pillow when I'm reading those overgrown stuffy novels."

"Oh, so I'm your pillow now? Why is it that I always end up being the pillow and get the stiff neck. Maybe for once I'd like to be the one lying down and use you as a pillow." He poked her gently in the tummy.

She poked him right back. "Because your tummy is softer than mine." She giggled.

"You've got your soft spots." He poked her at the base of her ribs, right where her crop-top ended, if it had been warm enough to wear one. Five degrees warmer and he was sure she would have worn one.

"Oh I do? What makes you think I'm going to let you use my 'soft spots' as a pillow?" She asked with a semi-wicked grin.

"Turnabout's fair play." He said, poking her ever so slightly higher.

"Poke me any higher and I guarantee Principal Director is going to walk around that corner and we'll both be sitting in detention instead of breaking in your car tonight." She craned her neck and glanced around the corner, then leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Reaching out, she picked up his tie, smoothing it between her fingers. "So, you thinking of dressing up a little bit more tonight?" She smiled warmly at him, still playing with his neckwear.

"The thought crossed my mind." He smiled back at her.

She put on a mock frown. "And I was going to wear those really low-cut jeans for you tonight."

"Nah, you wore those last Friday. I was thinking maybe a dress." He wagged his eyebrows at her.

"Ron, it's going to be below freezing tonight and it's likely to snow again. It's little bit too cold for _that_ dress.'

"But I'll keep you warm."

She pondered that a moment, resting her head on her knees as she looked at him. She could see the shape of his chest in the French collar shirt, thinking how good he looked that way. A though of how he would look come summer in just a pair of board shorts crossed her mind too.

"Okay, baby. I'll wear the dress, but I want you to put a blanket in the car in case my legs get cold." She touched the tip of his nose. "Damn you look so good. You should dress up like that more often."

"If it gets you to wear that dress…" He said, letting his foot tap against hers.

"Only on special occasions." She purred at him.

"I like special occasions. What's this one?"

"An I Love Ron Stoppable occasion." She said.

"Is that anything like an 'I Love Kim Possible' Occasion?"

"It better be." She said as the warning bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period.

"Three more hours and we're outta here." He said.

Kim Frowned slightly as she got up. "Yeah, as quick as we can get rid of Broom-Hilda." She growled.

Ron shook his head. What was it going to take to make these two bury the hatchet?

…and not in each other?

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	8. Part VIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part VIII**

* * *

Ron leaned on his steering wheel, careful not to hit the horn button in the center. He wasn't wearing the French shirt and tie any more. Instead he was wearing his dark green and white sweatshirt, the only thing besides his cheer uniform he had with him at school.

This was one of those days he regretted talking Kim into taking Home Economics II with him. The course was meant to branch out into other disciplines besides just cooking, but that's where they started and of course, for safety's sake, he had been paired off with Kim in the hopes he could keep her from completely destroying the classroom and the building that housed it.

That plan worked, to a degree. At least Linda Platt offered to dry-clean his nice tie at her father's cleaners. The shirt was in a nice baggie in Kim's backpack. The slacks were still very slightly damp but wearable and he would have to get at his shoes with a toothbrush before the stains set. Mister Barkin, who was teaching the class once more, applauded him for 'falling on the grenade' as it were.

His sacrifice turned out to be in vain, as Kim slipped and landed on her rump in the mess. She wasn't hurt but she was covered with the sticky glop, somehow not only getting her backside in it but her jeans, her favorite teal top and even got it in her hair.

That's what was taking her so long after practice. She normally hated taking a shower at school, only doing so when they weren't going straight home or if she was especially nasty after practice. Considering how her hair was matted from her accident, that qualified.

"What's taking her so long." Bonnie griped from the back seat, a textbook open on her lap.

"She takes a while getting dressed." He said.

"I'm here, aren't I." She said, shutting the book.

He turned around and looked her up and down, his eyes finally meeting hers. In defiance of the fact it had dropped below freezing and snow flurries had begun, she was still wearing her cheer outfit and even though it was the long-sleeved mostly yellow set, it was still one of the most revealing in the state, with one of the shortest skirts and the barest midriff of them all.

Ron 'checked her out' to make a point about her outfit but instead of scowling at him she just smiled sweetly once their eyes met, as if she enjoyed being looked at that way. He blinked a couple times to make sure he was seeing correctly, then turned forward again, completely perplexed. Bonnie was nice to look at. Not at nice as Kim, but still nice. Well, to be honest she was just as hot in her own way, just different. Her hips were narrower and her legs were a bit thinner but her upper half made up for that. Granted, he was the type of guy who actually preferred the way his girlfriend was built but presentation was everything.

Bonnie's presentation, just as it had been that afternoon, was more than nice.

The passenger door opened and Kim got in. She was wearing an old mission shirt and slightly damp jeans. She threw her backpack into the back seat beside Bonnie and climbed in.

"Where's your coat, K?" Bonnie asked in as neutral a tone as she could manage.

"Still hanging in the Home Ec room drying. Ron, please get this thing running and crank up the heater." She shivered noticeably, rubbing her arms over her bare belly.

As quick as he got the car started, Ron pulled his sweatshirt over his head, leaving him in just a t-shirt. Kim wasted little time pulling it over her still-damp hair, balling her arms around her middle while she waited for the car to heat up.

Ron tried explaining to her how the car was heated using the heat of the engine itself and the cabin would heat up as the coolant did. To Kim that didn't matter. "We are so going to add extra jackets to our supplies."

"If you'd just let Ron do all the work you wouldn't have this problem." Bonnie quipped. "He is so good in the kitchen. He even talked the Master Lunch Lady into letting him cook a meal while we were in Japan. That was the best meal we had while we were over there, and that's saying a lot since I like sushi."

"Bonnie, please, can you just keep your mouth shut until we can drop you off?" Kim asked through shiver-clenched teeth.

"I was just trying to pay your boyfriend a compliment." Bonnie said, slumping back as much as she could in the tiny back seat.

Kim held her hands under the dash where warm air was just beginning to blow. "How did it get so ferociously cold so fast? I thought the cold front wasn't going to get here until tonight."

"At least I came prepared." Bonnie said haughtily. She uncrossed then re-crossed her legs to show off her leg-warmers and thermal hose. She pulled her hands out of the pockets of her faux fur jacket and checked her nails. Despite being in the skin-baring cheer uniform, she looked the picture of warm comfort.

She started making a show of sniffing at the air. "What is that smell? It's like…wet cat." She leaned toward the front of the car, looking over the back of Kim's seat. "Ew, tell me your sweatshirt wasn't that dirty, Ron. I thought you were being a gentleman there."

"It was clean." He said in his defense. "I brought it from home, I was planning to change out of my dress clothes when I got to school."

Kim growled slightly. "It's my shirt, okay. It's been hanging in my locker since summer when Principal Director shut us down. It's all I had that was halfway clean, okay."

"Whatever." Bonnie said, sitting back again with a strange smile. "Just hope you take another shower before you go out with Ron tonight. He deserves better."

"Bonnie." Kim growled.

"What, Kim. Is it 'go time' just because I noticed your shirt smells like it's been hanging in the boy's locker room for the last five months? You going to kick my biscuit now because I suggested you needed to smell better for your date tonight? Or are you just going to sit up there and fume because he's told you I might be able to hold my own against you after all?"

They pulled up in front of Bonnie's house. She eyed the place like a deathtrap, her gaze falling on the Lexus and Discovery parked in the drive, sure signs her sisters were home. "Look, Ron, I appreciate the ride. You're a sweet guy." She turned her eyes toward Kim. "A sweet guy who deserves to have his girlfriend grow up a little bit." She leaned up between the seats and gave Ron a light kiss on his cheek before she got out.

He turned to look at Kim as he put the car back into gear. Later he would swear he saw flames in those blazing green eyes. Shaking his head, he let out the clutch and started towards her house.

A hundred yards later she finally opened her mouth. "I don't care if the snow is three feet deep tomorrow, a freezing rain is starting to fall and she forgot her shoes, we are not taking her home, you got that, Ron?"

"Kim, come on, she was trying to be nice. Well, nice for Bonnie." He shrugged.

"Nice? She knew I was having a clothing emergency, she could have foregone pointing out my shirt was musty." Kim said angrily. "Oh, and what was that with the kiss? Did something happen in Japan you haven't been telling me about?"

"No!" He said, risking a quick glare at her. "You don't get all huffy when Tara kisses my cheek."

"That's because Tara does that to everyone, including me. A kiss from Tara and a kiss from Bonnie are two completely different things."

"Well, she did have a point." Ron said as he turned the corner into their subdivision.

"Oh, what's that?" Kim said petulantly, crossing her arms.

"You could stand to grow up a little. Every time the two of you are together you go into this little girl mode and act like the two of you are going to start clawing each other's eyes out. You don't even get this worked up over Shego."

"That's because I can haul off and hit Shego whenever I want to." She said angrily.

"That sounds really mature." He said, glancing over at her again.

"This from a guy who has to be home every day at five to see some cartoon? Puh-lease."

They pulled in front of Kim's house. "Look, I'm going to go home and get cleaned up myself. Pick you up in an hour?"

She shrugged into her backpack. "Yeah." She said almost disinterestedly. "You know, it is a little too cold. Don't bother getting dressed back up, I think I'm going to wear a sweater and some jeans tonight. Okay."

"Alright." He said, a little disappointed. "You do still want to go to dinner?"

"Yeah. I'll be ready in an hour." She waved at him halfheartedly after shutting the door.

Kim stood there for a few minutes, her mind oddly blank as she tried to puzzle out what she was feeling at that moment. Up until the moment she had gotten in the car with Ron and Bonnie she had been looking forward to their date that night. Even getting into that tiny dress. It didn't matter the winter storm was rolling in about six hours earlier than predicted. She wanted to wear it just as much as Ron wanted her to. She wanted the opportunity to let him keep her warm, to snuggle under the blanket she suggested he bring. To let him see and touch her legs.

Now she just felt angry. Angry with him for allowing that…witch to ride with them. Angry with Bonnie for being, pretty much for being Bonnie. On top of all that she was angry with herself for letting the heavily tanned brunette get to her. Something was up, she knew it. Word on the grapevine was that Bonnie hadn't been going on dates so much and it was very likely she didn't have one tonight. That just meant something was brewing. Kim learned a hard lesson about listening to her gut and that gut was screaming at her now.

What really had gone on in Japan? Certainly the notion that Ron might have fooled around with Bonnie while they were there was ludicrous. For one thing that would be so out of character for Ron. He had been so up-front about the kiss Yori had given him when she finally accepted Ron's relationship.

Then too, about the only thing Ron had in common with Bonnie's preferred type was blonde hair.

After a few minutes she realized she was standing outside in the freezing weather with slightly damp hair, damp pants and only a sweatshirt and a musty crop-top on. The snow was getting steadier and she was starting to shiver worse. If she was going to stew, at least she could do it in a warm house.

Her mother took one look at her as she stomped into the house and put down her laundry basket, following her girl upstairs.

Dumping her stuff out in the hall, Kim went straight into the bathroom under her loft. She was already stripping out of her damp clothes as the water heated up when her mother came in.

"Let me guess, you and Ron had a fight?" She asked, leaning on the counter.

"Not so much a fight." She replied, getting into the shower and letting the hot water run all over her chilled body.

"But you're angry at him, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. He gave Bonnie a ride home in our car." She winced, realizing how whiney her voice was sounding.

"So, I'm sure he was just being nice. The snow storm is getting worse."

"Mom, of course he was being nice, but we're talking Bonnie here. She's so... arrrgh!"

Anne crossed her arms, looking directly at the curtain. "I noticed you called it 'our' car. Is your name on the title too? Do I need to tell your Father to amend the insurance?"

"Grrr. It's his car, but I helped him pick it out. Mom, he didn't even ask me before he let her ride in it."

"So he needs your permission to drive one of his friends home in a car he paid for, he puts gas in and he has to pay the insurance for. Scratch telling your Dad to fix the insurance, now I've got to tell him the two of you ran off and eloped."

"Mom!"

"Don't Mom me. Part of the reason you feel the way you do about Ron is because he's a great guy. That extends to more people than just you. There's nothing wrong with him letting his friends ride with him some times."

"Bonnie is not his friend. She's a mean, manipulative, horrible…"

"…and just because you feel that way about her, Ron automatically has to too?" Her mother said.

Kim shut of the water and wrapped a towel around her head. A little bit of meanness flared in her. "It seems to me the last time I took your advice I ended up with a slightly broken ankle, Mother." She half growled.

Anne's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This is not the same thing. We're talking about Ron here."

"Yeah, and if he'd grow up a little bit he'd see just what Bonnie is playing at."

"What is she playing at? Every time I've seen her she struck me as incredibly bitter. I don't know what's up with that, but maybe she's trying to reach out to somebody and who better to do that than Ron. If there's anyone in this world who could unconditionally be somebody's friend, it's him."

Kim shook her head. "That's part of the problem, Mom. He's so naïve. Bonnie's just playing him for some reason."

"Kimmie, I'm surprised at you. I thought you had more faith in him than that. Maybe that girl is playing him, but I don't think he's so naïve that he's going to let something bad happen. Unless you actually believe that girl is trying to steal him or something."

"I wouldn't put it past her." Kim said as she slipped into a bath robe.

"Then if she is, let her try her darnedest. You need to have faith in Ron. He loves you every bit as much as your Father loved me when we were your age. Maybe even more if that's possible. Have faith in him and maybe, just maybe a little Ron-shine will do that girl some good." She said, fixing her daughter's green eyes with her blues.

"I thought the Ron-shine was all for me now." Kim said softly as she passed her mother, turning up the black stairs leading to her loft.

Anne was close behind her.

Kim opened her blinds, looking outside at the growing snow storm. She sighed, sitting heavily on the end of her bed.

"Maybe this would be a good night just to stay in." her mother said, surveying the rapidly whitening landscape outside. "After all, _his_ car is rear-wheel drive. Maybe we should just light a nice big fire in the den and make smores. Then the two of you would have an excuse to snuggle on the couch, maybe all night.

"I don't know, Mom. I've been looking forward to our date all day. I was even going to dress up for him, until I ruined his outfit."

"Ruined his outfit? What out…oh, that's right, today was the interview. You really must be upset."

"It's been a ferociously long day. I already forgot about it myself once."

"So, what did he find out?"

Kim let out a long breath. The day had been long and it was finally catching up to her. "If he keeps his grades up and pulls up his SAT score, he's got a good chance of getting in. That's all he's told me so far, I haven't had a really good chance to pump him for details about the whole interview."

"That still sounds really encouraging. So how was this such a long day? You seemed so happy when you left for his house this morning."

"Well, we got a new English teacher this morning who seems to think we're the only class we have all day, then in Home Ec, well, let's say I had to cook."

"Is that why you came home wearing Ron's shirt? Oh, and where exactly is your jacket? Ron paid a lot of money for that, even if you ended up exchanging for the black one."

"That's all because of the cooking. There kinda was this little teensy explosion." She said, her voice getting smaller as she went.

"Uh huh. Kimmie, if you want my advice, and let me remind you, my track record is still pretty good, then I think you need to get your hair dry, get into that little tiny dress of yours, put on that underwear you think I don't know about and go out and have a good time with Ron."

"But…the snow?"

Anne shook her head. "Take the mini-van. It will handle a lot better in the snow than his little car. Just, if you go, uh, parking, just don't go out on that bluff with it."

"I don't know, Mom. Maybe your idea about snuggling on the couch is better, though if he was going to spend the night, I'd much rather…"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Anne said, smiling at her.

"But we've shared a bed on missions and nothing happened."

"That's beside the point. On a mission, your father can tell himself that's just business. The two of you sharing a bed here in his home…let's just say that's not going to happen and I don't mean just while you're still seventeen either. Get your dress on. Wear thermal pantyhose if you have to, wear a sweater over it. Make Ron keep you warm, but go out and dance and have fun with him. Let him prove to you that you're the one for him, not this Bonnie girl."

"I guess, but it is awfully cold."

"Like I said, make Ron warm you up. I bet he's good at that."

Kim got up and pulled the dress out of her closet. "Yeah. He is, isn't he?" She held the thin black fabric against her front, smoothing it over her.

All the while imagining Ron's hands doing the same thing.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	9. Part IX

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part IX**

* * *

By the time they reached the restaurant where they had their reservations, they found the parking lot empty and the doors locked. Apparently the management had decided the storm settling in over the Tri-Cities would not only keep most of their customers away, it would represent a danger to their employees as well. Ron said as much would be the case but Kim had put on her dress and when she did that, they were going out. Case closed.

Of course, she knew she must look the sight when they walked into the only sit-down service restaurant they found open. It was the same place Josh Mankey took her to on one of their only real dates, where Drakken and Shego had been lurking, trying to literally embarrass her to death.

If eight inches of snow had not already fallen outside she was sure anyone who saw her would die of laughter including Ron. She was wearing the tiny black dress alright, but she was also wearing black thermal pantyhose, along with a pair of leg-warmers she generally would never been seen with outside of an aerobics class. They were being used to not only keep her warm but to disguise the snow-boots she was wearing instead of strappy sandals. Over the top she was wearing a light sweater and her heaviest winter coat, allowing only about an inch of the dress itself to show.

Ron's outfit fared much better with his concessions to the storm. He arrived at the house on foot since his car couldn't get enough traction to get up the one hill he had to climb, so he was wearing snow boots as well. Only they tended to look a little better with a new pair of khaki cargo pant and his ski jacket went well with the black dress shirt and maroon tie he was wearing. Considering the knot was expertly tied and the length was perfect, she suspected he went directly to Rufus this time for help.

He looked like a handsome young man who had to go out in the snow and she looked like a street-tart trying to work in the blizzard. It was almost enough to make her wish she had taken her mother's suggestion of sitting home in front of the fireplace and making Smores. Only, that one little thing she had said to her mother while she was in the shower was starting to bother her more and more. It was a painful thing to bring up for both women, but using it as a weapon during what was turning into an argument? That was just plain mean and, as Ron would say, Wrongsick.

The restaurant was as empty as the parking lot outside. A trio of waitresses occupied one table and only one cook was visible in the kitchen. Not that it mattered much, the place was pretty much a glorified hamburger joint, the kind that put a burger and some fries on a real plate, brought it out to your table and charged you twice as much for it and made a big deal of refilling your glass with watery drinks.

All that aside, seeing the staff sitting there, essentially out in this weather for no more reason than their boss insisted the place stay open, made her feel even worse. With no customers to speak of there would be no tips and it was very likely they weren't even making enough money to put gas in their cars to get to work.

Leaving now wouldn't help them, though and it also meant going back home and apologizing to her mother. She wanted to do that, even needed to but at the moment she was not quite ready to face her and her only means of escape was her Friday night date with Ron.

He closed his cell phone and put it away. "Well, that's it. Every dance club that lets teens in is apparently closed. I even tried Bundy's"

Kim wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I'd want to go there anyway."

"Sorry, KP. Looks like dinner and a movie, if the theater's even open."

"Well," She leaned seductively on the table, "Maybe since there's not a lot of traffic we'll have some privacy in the mini-van after all."

Ron grinned goofily at her. The big problem with the van was it was a slightly older model and didn't have the fancy fold-down seats that had become common lately and like any 'family-style' minivan of its day, it was completely surrounded by large windows so the whole family unit could enjoy the panorama as they drove. That was fine when she was confined to the vehicle with her parents and her brothers (and quite often Ron as well) but for a young couple wishing to spend some time 'parking'… well, in most cases it didn't work too well.

"I just thought of something, KP." Ron said, picking at the yeast rolls that had been brought out as they waited for their burgers.

"What's that, Baby?" She asked, leaning on the table again and lightly batting her eyes at him.

He stopped for a moment and just stared at her. Even with the fuzzy sweater covering up most of that most wonderful dress, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Uh, remember those films we saw in driver's ed a couple years ago?"

Kim pulled a face. "Yeah, what's 'Ghost Car' got to do with anything? You seemed to handle Mom's van just fine in the snow."

"Not that one," He shuddered slightly. The production values of the old film were terrible, but the real footage that had been interspersed with the acting would have made a Slasher film director proud. One scene in particular made him realize why Kim almost always got sick when she visited her brain-surgeon mother at work. "Later, after we got done with the testing."

"When most of us got done." Kim reminded him with a slight grin. Ron didn't manage to get his permit until very late in the course.

"Seventh time's the charm." He smiled back at her, mimicking a line from her favorite sitcom. "What I'm getting at, if we're gonna, you know…cuddle in the van, we're going to have to run the heater. It's already down to like twenty outside."

"Uh, huh. No big, we've got a full tank of gas. The heater could run for hours if it has to." She hooked her ankle around his, a gesture that lost a little of its impact with a slightly damp snow-boot.

"KP, the way the snow is coming down, we run the risk of it piling up against the exhaust. People have died from suffocation that way, and since I had to walk to your house I couldn't bring a blanket or anything."

Kim's face slumped down against her fists. "Oh snap." She said softly, realizing he was right. "Okay what about your place?"

He shook his head resolutely. "Dad was lighting the fireplace as I left. They're expecting me to be out of the house all evening. Believe me, we do not want to go back there right now!"

"You mean they're…"

"LaLaLaLa." Ron started singing, clamping his hands over his ears.

"O…kay." She said, leaning back from the table as their waitress brought their burgers

Kim looked from her burger to her fries, then to the chocolate shake sitting there between them. She knew she was going to regret this, considering Ron's cast-iron stomach, but she had to ask.

"Ronnie, what is the most embarrassing thing you like to eat?"

He gave her the funniest look. "Is this some kind of weird 'is Ron like Mankey' thing?"

She dropped her chin into her palms again. She didn't run right to her room and start the virtual spill into her online diary, she was instantly on the phone with Ron and he knew almost every detail of that evening as well as she did. It didn't even occur to her that night she had to share it with the most important person in her world, one who had in fact saved her life that night.

"Yes it is, Ron. I don't really have any bad memories about Josh and it was a good question." She leaned across the table and whispered. "You already knew my answer to that question anyway."

"Well, yeah, I guess I'm one of only two people on this planet that would actually eat something like that. Hmmm. I don't get embarrassed so…" He looked up at the ceiling, tapping his cheek like he was deep in thought. Finally he held out his hands. "I can think of a lot of stuff I'd eat that would gross some people out, but embarrassing? I can't think of anything. Oh, wait, how about the happy-face breakfast at the pancake place. You know, the one that makes a smiley face out of the bacon on a pancake?"

Kim absently dipped a French fry into the milkshake. "Okay, smarty-pants, though the last time we ate there you got an omelet the size of Denver and managed to polish off most of mine as well."

"Yeah, we've got to eat there again sometime. How about after church Sunday?"

"Okay, though I'm going to make you get the happy-face." She picked up her burger and took as big a bite as she was able to, which obviously paled in comparison to Ron's capabilities. She had no doubt he could stuff the entire sandwich in his mouth at once, though she would probably disown him if he did that, empty restaurant or not. "I was reading a quiz in one of my magazines last night and it got me to thinking. Just how well do you know me?"

"Um, KP, in thirteen years we've been apart maybe four months, tops. I know you better than you know your brothers."

"Well, let's see if I can remember some of the questions. There were some stupid ones in there, like what color my eyes are."

Ron laughed slightly. "Somebody sitting on the far side of the gym knows what color your eyes are."

"Yeah, like I said, that question was kind of stupid but there were others, ones you might not have thought too much about, things you might take for granted."

"I can't ever take you for granted." He said, taking about a third of his burger out in one bite.

"What's my favorite color?"

"Pink." He said easily.

"Oh, really. Are you so sure. I wore a green top almost constantly Sophomore year."

"Well, that's true, but at home in the bottom of my chest-of-drawers there are five pairs of pink…"

"Okay, you got me there." Her eyes narrowed at him a bit. "Though I have to wonder why you're going through my drawer."

"Can I plead the fifth?"

Kim crossed her arms and gave him a mock-serious face. "No." She said, glaring across the table at him.

"Okay. Mom makes me do your laundry you leave at the house since we've been dating just in case you left something there I wouldn't want her to see. After that pair…"

"Whoa, you're right, she's right, let's leave it there." Fortunately she knew Ron's mother had never seen that particular pair of panties. It was bad enough who did.

"Next question." She said. "What's my favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Are you sure all the questions aren't dumb? Edy's Fudge Ripple, and when you can't get that, then it's the cheap stuff in the little plastic cups."

"Favorite TV show?"

"_Pals_, though I'd bet _Agony County_ is a close second."

"Favorite song?"

"_Could it Be?_ Come on, KP, these are all easy."

"Favorite band?"

"Uh, I dunno. Oh Boyz? You're not that big on music."

"Ah, got you on one. Oh Boyz is yours, I liked them for about a week and then when I met those spoiled party boys…"

"Then what is it? You don't even have a CD player in your room except for your computer."

Kim pulled her Kimmunicator out of her purse and punched a few buttons. Who needed an expensive MP3 player when you could tie into Wade's mainframe and his massive collection of downloaded tunes. _Say the Word_ started softly playing.

"She's not really a band, more of a solo artist." Ron said.

Kim shrugged. "She was playing when we had our first real kiss, she was there on our first real date, so I think she counts."

"Okay, now all the same questions about me." Ron said, polishing off the last of his burger and hungrily eyeing hers.

Kim raised and eyebrow at him and picked her food up for another big bite. She was hungry too.

"Well?" He prompted.

"Red." She said finally.

"Really? What makes you think that?" he said, smiling as he took a long draw on the milkshake they were sharing.

"You wear a red jersey all the time. I figure it must be your favorite color."

"Guess again." He said, his look starting to get a little smug.

"Auburn?"

"Oh, I like that color really good." He reached across the table and lightly stoked a lock of her hair. "Try again."

"Okay, Ron, I'm stumped. Don't tell me it's black." She pulled the shoulder of her sweater down slightly so he could see the strap of her dress.

"Pink." He said finally.

"Ron, that's sweet, but you don't have to say your favorite color is the same as mine."

"Really, KP, it's pink. Has been since, oh, not long after we turned fifteen, when I found out you had on pink with a big red heart printed on it."

Kim blushed crimson, then flushed with a bit of anger. "You mean what I was wearing when we switched brains?"

Ron just nodded sheepishly.

"You said you didn't look." Kim whispered across the table.

"Um, KP, I'm a guy, I couldn't help it. We both had to change clothes and I wasn't exactly in familiar territory there…and you have that big dressing mirror in your room."

"I didn't look." She said, crossing her arms _and_ her legs.

"Bull snap." He said, laughing slightly.

"I swear to you, Ron. I just closed my eyes and pretended I was putting my own clothes on. I so didn't want to see that."

"So that's how you ended up getting me caught in my zipper." His grin got impossibly wider.

"That hurt!" she squeaked.

"How do you think I felt when we got our own bodies back. Okay, next question. What's my favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"I'm still tweaked about you eyeballing my body like that."

"You don't know, do you." It was his turn to rest his chin on his fist, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I do too. It's chocolate."

Ron shook his head. "That's just what we get together since we both like it. It's butter pecan."

"Ron, that's old-people ice cream. Since when do you like that?"

"Since it's the only other flavor besides Fudge Ripple in your freezer. I can't help it, I like it."

"Humph. Your favorite band is _Oh Boyz_, your favorite show is _The Fearless Ferret_ and your favorite song better be _Could it Be_."

"Well, I am kind of partial to _Hello Hello Hello_." He said, rolling his eyes, until Kim kicked him lightly under the table.

About that moment their waitress came back to their table. "Hey, I'm really sorry, but the manager has decided to close up. It's getting pretty bad outside."

"That's cool. Ron said. "You want a to-go box KP?"

"Uh, no thanks." She eyed the remains of her burger and fries. There really wasn't enough left to save.

"The boss said your dinner is on the house since she's closing up." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. No bill pretty much meant no tip.

"Hang on." Ron pulled his battered wallet out and pulled out a small stack of bills. "Do me a favor, split this with the rest of the girls and the cook for me." He handed her the whole stack. There were at least three twenties there, along with some smaller bills.

"Ron, that was sweet." Kim said as he helped her back into her coat.

He shrugged. "That's probably the only tip they got all night. Nobody else came in here the whole time we were here and I'm willing to bet that manager was going to dock them for the rest of their schedule, not that they're paid much to begin with. Besides, maybe they'll remember us the next time we come in here."

Their waitress hadn't been half kidding. The snow was coming down so thick they could barely see three feet in front of them. They had been in there an hour and a half and the van was already completely covered, though the high angles had kept all the windows clear. Kim reached into her purse and handed the keys to Ron. It took him a few minutes, fumbling in his gloves to get the key into the ice-crusted lock, but he was finally able to get her door open for her.

The driver's side door was in even worse shape. Kim unlocked it for him and helped push it open as he pulled on the handle, the door finally opening with an audible crunch where the water that had melted earlier had re-frozen in the seals.

The moment he got the door shut she grabbed him for a very passionate kiss.

"Uh, you know what, KP." He said when it ended. "I think I just gave her our movie budget." He pulled his wallet out and displayed the empty fold. "Think they'll take my ATM card?"

"I don't think the theater is open right now." She said, nodding toward the storm raging outside of the little minivan.

"So, what do we do then?"

She pulled him in for another kiss. It didn't last as long as the first but it was clear it was going to be only one of many. "Why don't you make sure the exhaust pipe is clear and start the engine up." She said softly before kissing him again.

The door crunched again, though more softly this time as he went around the back of the van and swept a small drift away from the tail-pipe. Once the engine was running it would melt anything back there, as long as the wind didn't start drifting the snow into piles.

Kim proceeded to warm him back up when he got back in. Finally he turned back to the steering wheel and turned the key. Even though his lips and most of his face was warm, he was quickly starting to shiver and he knew she couldn't be warm even with the extra layers she had on.

Nothing happened. He turned it again, giving the gas a light pat. The dome lights had come on when they got in, so he knew the battery should be okay.

He turned it a third time. The engine wasn't even cranking.

"Oh boy." They both muttered.

Neither of them thought to call 'jinx.'

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	10. Part X

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part X**

* * *

Kim and Ron were both dressed in long flannel pajamas. They were huddled together under a thick wool blanket, had monster mugs of hot cocoa (Kim was on her third) and they were sitting in front of a raging fire her father had been tending since earlier that evening and they were still shivering, though by this point it was more from the fresh memory of being so cold rather than the core temperatures of their bodies.

Ron felt colder than he had been when he was stranded with Drakken above the arctic circle.

The storm had gotten so bad outside Kim was thinking of calling Wade again to run a scan for weather machines.

The first thing they did once they accepted the van wasn't going to start was to call Wade on the Kimmunicator. That proved more interesting than they expected at first. For the first time ever, when Kim pulled her relatively new Mark II hand-held out the batteries were completely dead. Not just weak, they were gone. She'd dealt with nearly drained batteries in her original Mark I before but it always seemed to have just enough juice in it to get by, even if it only had power for an audio call. No luck this time, making her wonder if the new unit had a manufacturing fault in it somehow, or it was inordinately affected by the cold.

Ron, of course, didn't think to bring his. In true Ron Stoppable fashion, he had also left his cell-phone sitting in its charger on his desk. Kim didn't have hers because she was carrying a tiny clutch purse, with just enough room for her usually dependable Kimmunicator.

They shared a little laugh about that. If they had been on a mission, they would have either been wearing their thermal outerwear or their super suits, or in this kind of weather, probably both. They would have had their ultra-lightweight thirty-below sleeping bags and they both would have had their Kimmunicators with them, not to mention various and sundry other gadgets.

Now they were within five miles of their home. They were both underdressed, had virtually none of their equipment and had gone out into a storm that, while worse and faster than anticipated, was still nothing particularly unusual for the region. They got single snow events like this about once every three to five years.

"Well, we have two choices that I can see." Kim said. "We freeze out butts off in the van, or we freeze our butts off trying to get home on foot."

"I don't know, KP. It seems like we'd be a little warmer in here."

She had pulled her knees up into her coat, but her teeth were already chattering. "This has been some more day, hasn't it?"

"Same old, same old." He favored her with a hopeful smile.

"No, it's not. If we'd been this ferociously stupid on a mission, we could get ourselves killed." She shuddered again. "I so don't like being cold."

Ron got up and sat down on the bench seat behind the bucket seats up front. "Come back here, KP."

She sat down with him and he unzipped his coat, drawing her head down to his chest, sharing a little bit of his warmth with her. They sat that way for about half an hour, a little more comfortable than they had been before.

"Stupid cell-phones." Kim muttered, snuggling a little closer to him, trying to stay in his sphere of body heat.

"I'm sorry I forgot mine, Kim."

"That's not what I'm talking about. Even a couple years ago we could have found a pay phone nearby and we could call Dad to come get us. Did you notice they even took the one outside Bueno Nacho down?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He shuddered just a bit, and not from the cold. The last time he had used that particular phone was to call Bueno Nacho headquarters to bless them out for dropping Naco Night and bendy straws, only to have Doctor Drakken himself answer the phone.

"Maybe for once your curfew will be a good thing. If I don't have you home by eleven then your father's going to come looking for us." Ron said hopefully.

"No good, Ronnie. When was the last time Dad mentioned a curfew? He's up and decided you're so trustworthy he doesn't even set one. Not to mention, when was the last time he went out looking for us?"

He didn't have to think long. He remembered the bronze Jaguar S-type rolling up right at sunrise. "Prom night." They said in unison.

"Jinx, you owe me hot chocolate." Kim said, closing her eyes and hugging him tighter.

"What time is it anyway?" He said, pulling his glove back so he could see his watch. "Just after nine. Even if he did get antsy I bet he wouldn't even leave the house until around one. We'd be popsicles by then."

"That's just it, Ron. I'm getting colder by the minute, no matter how warm you are. This is downright dangerous." She glanced at the thermometer on the dash. It was reading fifteen.

Something was tickling the back of his mind. Then it hit him. "Hey, there's an emergency Kimmunicator built into my watch. That's how Wade got a hold of me in Japan!"

Kim sat up and helped him pull his glove back again. "So, how does it work?"

"I, uh…heh…I don't exactly know. He called me."

Pulling his glove completely off he stripped off the watch and examined it closely. "Uh, Kimmunicator on." He said into the crystal.

"Here, let me try." she stripped her own gloves off and started pressing buttons at random. After managing to do no more than screw the time settings up a little she handed it back to him and hastily put her gloves back on.

"Maybe if we backed over it he'd get an emergency signal." He offered.

Kim lightly rapped on his forehead. "If we could start the van, then we wouldn't need to call him, now would we?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I just can't believe he'd go to the trouble of installing something like that and not have some way to call him with it."

"Maybe he just put it there for emergencies." He said, shrugging.

"Ron, we're the ones who have emergencies and need to call somebody, not the other way around."

He took the watch and started trying other things. First he tried stretching the plastic band. Then he tried mashing the protective rubber ring around the crystal.

He hit pay dirt. The right edge was softer than the rest. He pressed a little harder and the LCD display changed to a color screen showing Kim's logo.

"Woo hoo, the Ron-man came to play!" He shouted. He passed the watch back to Kim, who knew better how to work the unmarked buttons of their regular units.

Assuming the five buttons on the watch emulated the main cluster on the hand-held, she pressed the one that should call Wade directly.

The holographic projector didn't come to life, but they were rewarded with a familiar voice. "Ron, is that you?"

"Wade, this is Kim but Ron's right here with me."

"Where's the hologram?" Ron asked, leaning over to look at the watch, which was still showing the "KP" screensaver.

"I'm in the dark over here. My power's been off for an hour. I'm talking to you on an old Mark I Kimmunicator I've been tinkering with."

"You mean you don't have back-up?" Kim asked.

"I've got the main-frame on a really advanced UPS, but I'm conserving the power since my monitors really drink up the juice. Dad's outside right now trying to get the gas-powered generator started, but he's not having much luck. Where are you guys anyway?"

"We're stuck in the parking lot over at Muddrakker's and the van's conked out."

"Ouch. You guys got a way to keep warm?"

"I'm sure Ron has some things in mind." Kim said, shooting her boyfriend a slightly wicked grin.

There was silence on the other end for a few moments.

"Wade? You still there?" She finally asked.

"Oh, sorry, I had my hands over my ears."

"I'm just pulling your leg, Wade. It's too cold to even hold hands right now. By the way, my Kimmunicator bailed on us. It worked earlier, but now the batteries are completely gone."

"Hmmm. Might be the cold. If there's a flaw in the battery it can conk out when it gets below twenty. I'll take a look at it the first chance I get. So that's why you're on the number four unit."

"Yeah, uh Wade, it'd have been nice if you told me how to use it." Ron said.

"Sorry, I kind of forgot you had it. Look, there's not a whole lot I can do on my end with the mainframe down. Do you have any of your equipment with you?"

"No, we've got a sum total of a dead Kimmunicator and Ron's watch with us. We're out on a date." Kim said, a little petulance creeping into her voice.

"You two went out in this storm? You two are more lovesick than I thought. Look, if I remember the map right, you're only three point six miles from your house. Maybe you can make it on foot."

"That's what I was thinking Wade. This van's already like an ice-box." She said, pulling her knees back up into her coat again.

"Okay, you two get started and I'm going to call your Dad. Stay on the main road so he can see you."

"Thanks Wade. You rock even without your computers." She pressed the ring, sending the watch back into its normal mode.

"You ready?" She asked.

"Almost." Reaching up, he pulled his stocking cap off and shoved it down on her head.

"No, Ron, you had the foresight to bring a cap."

"Forget it, KP. Besides, I've got a hood." He unzipped his collar and pulled the thin hood up over his head.

She grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. "I love you Ronnie."

"We better get going, I think our lips are about to stick together." He laughed. "Think my tongue would stick to the van?"

"You are so not trying." She said, opening her door and stepping out into the now foot deep snow. Ron had to give the door on his side a good swift kick to get it open.

The visibility was awful and they immediately realized they had one other problem they hadn't counted on. Kim had been born in this city and Ron had lived here since he was three. Yet none of that intimate knowledge of their surroundings was of any use in these conditions. It would likely be morning before the snow-plows started and only then if the snow had let up enough. Hopefully the storm was still moving faster than expected and would end sooner as well. Even so, the roads were completely white and they were having a hard time picking out landmarks.

They looked back over their shoulders, picking out the lights in the parking lot. In thirty minutes they had managed to go about a hundred yards. The snow was wet and sticky and hard to walk in, making them pick their feet up and down constantly. They were very likely to take the rest of the night going a distance they could normally traverse in half an hour at a brisk walk. Only that was in good weather and in clothing that wasn't downright dangerous to be out in.

There was a slight crunching sound coming up behind them. They turned to see a police cruiser, it's tires encased in chains, pulling up beside them.

"Kim Possible?" The hooded officer queried with a mild Irish brogue.

"Officer Hobble?" She asked, recognizing the voice.

"What on God's green Earth are the two of you doing out in this?"

"We were on a date and our ride broke down."

"Heaven's sakes, child, of anyone in this burg I thought you would have had the sense to stay indoors tonight. Get it before you catch your death out there." He held the door open so both teens could get in.

Kim borrowed his cell phone and called her father, who was still in the driveway trying to put chains on the Jag. She could hear the relief in his voice when she told him Hobble was bringing them home.

It still took an hour to travel a distance that should have taken minutes.

Kim's mother hustled the teens upstairs to get them out of their wet clothes and then back downstairs to park them in front of the fire, handing them both mugs of cocoa that Ron could stick his whole fist in.

Stretching her legs out, Kim held her now-bare feet up to the fireplace, wiggling her toes to let the warm air into every space.

"You know what, KP? I just noticed something. You've got pudgy toes." Ron said, admiring her feet.

"Do not." She pulled them back under the blanket, curling them up under her legs.

"Do so." He said right back, sticking his own size twelves up to the fire just as she had done.

"Well, yours are gnarly," She squinted at them. "and you better have taken care of that fungus thing you were complaining about at Smarty Mart that time."

He pulled his foot closer with his hands. "What do you think?" He said, holding it a little closer to her.

"I think I'm in love with all of you, but not your feet so much." She giggled softly. He was still holding his foot up, so she couldn't resist. She grabbed it and started lightly tickling the bottom.

"Whoa, cut that out…tickles." He croaked out, setting his mug down on the mantle so he wouldn't spill any of it.

She held onto his foot and started rubbing it. "That better, Ronnie?"

"Much."

She let go of his foot and took another long draught of her cocoa.

"Better go easy on that, or you'll be getting up fifteen times tonight."

"So not. I've got an iron bladder."

"Yeah, right. So who was it again who got the squirms every time we passed a rest stop on the way down to Florida last summer?"

"Ron, that was you. You're the one who keeps getting super-sized slurpsters. I swear, sometimes I think you've got a bladder the size of a peanut."

"After three mugs of hot chocolate? I bet you've already got to go right now."

"So not." She said.

"Bet you do." He said musically, surreptitiously putting two fingers on her belly just below her naval.

"Meanie." She said, carefully getting up and heading for the stairs.

"Told you." He said.

Kim grumbled as she headed for her bathroom. She was always fine until she thought hard enough about it, then she really did have to go.

As she was coming out, her mother was just reaching the top of the stairs. "I guess I owe you an apology." She said, startling her daughter slightly.

"Huh?"

"My track record on advice took a pretty good hit tonight. I told you to wear that dress, you nearly froze to death. I told you to take my van and it broke down on you when you needed it most."

Kim stood there for a moment, speechless.

"Mom, I'm the one who should be apologizing. What I said earlier, that was just so ferociously mean."

"No, Kimmie, it was the truth. I walked you right into one of the worst situations in your life."

"That doesn't mean I had the right to throw it in your face like that Mom. I know that had to hurt."

"Not as much as it hurt to see you like that." She looked away for a moment.

"Mom…" Kim reached for her mother and pulled her in for a hug. "You gave me the single best piece of advice I ever had and he's sitting down there in front of the fire."

Anne held her daughter for a few minutes, not saying anything.

"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time.

"Jinx, you owe me…uh." Anne looked up, as in thought.

"Well, what is it, Mom. It doesn't count unless you spit it right out."

"Let's just say sometime in the next decade and I'll leave it at that."

Kim looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face. Her mother just smiled at her.

"I think it's time you kids got some sleep."

Kim yawned slightly. It was getting close to one in the morning and she had been up since five-thirty that morning. It had been an extraordinarily long day. "I'll get Ron some pillows."

"Don't you worry about that, I'll make sure he's good and tucked in. You just scoot on up there to bed, young lady."

She would have rather given Ron a goodnight kiss, but her eyes were drooping already. She slowly mounted the stairs into her loft, the pull of her nice warm bed already stronger than the desire for a quick smooch with her boyfriend.

She was just dozing off, clutching her old Pandaroo when she felt the bed dip slightly as somebody sat down on it beside her. She slowly opened her eyes to see Ron sitting there, rubbing the side of his head and yawning. Her eyes popped fully open as she realized her mother was standing in the room as well.

"Don't get too used to this." She warned Kim. "Your father is already sound asleep, but I want the two of you to behave, understand?"

"Yes ma'am." She said, smiling broadly. She glanced over at Ron, whose head was already on the pillow.

Anne made good on her promise and tucked him in. Kim realized she still wasn't getting her goodnight kiss, Ron was already fast asleep beside her. As the door halfway down the staircase quietly closed she wrapped an arm around him, as if he were a one hundred fifty pound Pandaroo himself.

Moments later she followed him into a deep slumber.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	11. Part XI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XI**

* * *

Kim pushed the clothes in her closet to each side, exposing a biometric palm scanner set into the back of her closet. Frowning slightly, she put her hand there and was rewarded by the very faint whoosh sound as the hidden vault opened up.

Hanging inside were two suits. One was white, shot through with gleaming blue piping, with a matching pair of boots sitting right beneath it. The other was completely identical, at least in appearance, but very dark gray, nearly black. Other than the color, the only other difference was an attached hood that could be pulled up to cover her hair. It was actually Ron's suggestion that Wade combine his earlier Stealth suit with their advanced Super-suit. That and the fact he felt the white one was a little bit too revealing on him for his tastes (Kim didn't mind.) Ron had one of each as well, though the blue stripes were replaced with goldenrod, almost the same color as his hair.

He turned away from Kim's computer, eyeing her curiously as she laid her dark colored super-suit out on the bed. "Is there a mission I wasn't aware of?" He recalled what happened their Sophomore year on this particular trip.

"No." She said as she removed the hanger and started folding it up. "I am not going to be cold this weekend and just in case, I'm wearing this under my ski clothes."

Ron nodded and turned back to the game he was playing on her computer. After what they now referred to as 'the Very Long Day' he could understand her wish to stay warm. In fact, unless another blizzard roared into Mount Middleton, the suit alone was more than enough to keep her warm, considering it was designed to keep her whole body at optimum temperature at all times. It wasn't designed for arctic use, but at a ski-resort it would do quite nicely. Then again, with her nice red ski outfit (which her father still didn't see any use in replacing) she should be nicely warm the whole time they were there.

Kim packed the suit in her duffle, right alongside the thickest paperback book she had ever cracked open.

The students signed up for the annual ski trip were given a half day so they could get ready for the weekend getaway, but that still meant she had to deal with her first period English class. They had polished off their first book midweek, a task made difficult by the extended length of the obscure work they had been assigned.

Doctor Snyder seemed to take an inordinate amount of glee in his work. Monday morning he launched into an extended lecture about the finer points of the chapters they had been assigned over the weekend. She had to admire his intellect. He brought up bits and pieces she recalled, but his perspective was actually refreshingly brilliant. It made her feel suddenly that the five hundred word essay she was about to turn in at the end of class was somewhat less than she first imagined it to be.

Apparently Snyder agreed with her on that. In fact, he agreed on that with the other eleven students who made up the class as well. Tuesday morning he launched into a lecture about how fine their work was, how it was beyond what he would expect…for an average high school student. He railed on and on how so much more was expected from them. They were in the most advanced English class offered in the Tri-City school system, if not in the whole state of Colorado. They need to do more than simply regurgitate simple, dry facts like they were in training to be somebody's administrative assistant (he actually said secretary at first and was taken to task on the faux pas by Kim and a couple other female students. He apologized, amended his statement, then proceeded to go on about their politically correct defense of a profession they should be striving beyond.)

He waited until the last ten minutes of the class to hand back their papers. He had scribbled notes on the paper that in total were actually longer than the piece she had written. Still, the only thing that mattered to her was the black B minus neatly written up in the corner.

Their assignment for the next day was to re-submit their papers in a form that would bring the grade up to where he felt they were capable of performing. That was in addition to reading the second third of the book in preparation for a test on the subject the next day. The test took on the form of writing yet another five hundred words cold, with no notes.

Somehow Kim managed to pull and A minus on the amended paper and a straight B on the test. That wasn't what she was expecting after such an enormous amount of work. At least she took solace that the actual reading time went exactly as planned, lying on Ron's couch while he had his arms wrapped around her. Maybe if he had been allowed to be in the classroom during the test, gently cradling her she would have done better.

That morning Snyder arrived toting a brown grocery bag. He pulled out the contents and arranged twelve brown lunch-bags on his desk, instructing his students to randomly pick one each. The bag was relatively heavy and Kim had a pretty good idea what was inside.

She was quite right. The book had to be the thickest standard sized paperback she had ever held in her hands. What was worse was the title. It wasn't a 'classic of Western literature.' No, it was something she was quite sure was an absolute piece of garbage. She knew of the book's existence. In fact, Ron had been really stoked about the movie that had been made a few years ago from the first half of the book. That film turned out to be one of the worst science fiction movies she had seen in many, many years. That was saying a lot since she really didn't get into the genre. What was worse was that the author was noted more for founding what she considered to be a rather nutty religion.

Kim glanced over at her neighbor. She had another 'popular' novel of considerable length, one that had been made into a twelve-hour long mini-series before she was even born.

Their assignment was to read their randomly selected works and discuss what redeeming traits the books had and how they were relevant in the modern world. She was so not looking forward to that, especially since even Ron, who liked pulp garbage like the _Bricks of Fury_ series, considered the movie bad as well. The only hope she held out was that the film only shared its title in common with the source material.

The upshot of all that, though, was it was going to seriously cut into her 'Ron Time' during the ski-trip. The two previous years their teachers had lightened their work-load for them. Snyder obviously didn't believe in that.

The Bonnie issue was still troubling her. Something was seriously up with her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She kept telling herself to simply enjoy the fact she was actually trying to be nicer to not only Ron, but a lot of other people around her but she was having a big trust issue where her old rival was concerned.

It didn't help that every time she thought of the buxom brunette, she pictured her wearing a certain green and black jumpsuit instead of a blue, red and gold uniform.

Things had been a little tense at home. Her Dad most certainly did not approve of Ron being allowed to sleep in her bed, no matter how exhausted the teens were. He had come upstairs to wake her for a late breakfast and found the two of them still sound asleep, only their foreheads touching, the Pandaroo sitting between them as if they were cradling a child in their sleep. At least before any yelling could commence her mother came to the rescue, explaining that there was no way to get Ron home in that weather and he needed a proper night's sleep, something that simply couldn't be had sleeping on the couch and that it was quite obvious the two of them had behaved since she had checked on them several times that night.

Mollified but still grumpy about the whole sitch, James Possible spent the day cleaning out their little-used guest bedroom. If Ron was going to be stuck there for the duration of the snowstorm (which lasted well into Sunday before the sun finally came out) he could get a good night's sleep alone in a bed two floors below his daughter's.

Kim and Ron still spent the greater part of Saturday night cuddled up on the couch, an arraignment her father approved of for some reason.

The van, it turned out, had a bad starter, something that was completely independent of the weather. A quick repair right there in the parking lot and it was home by Monday evening. Still, the vehicle was starting to get old and had more than one hundred fifty thousand miles on it (including two round trips to Florida) and the relatively minor break-down was a bit of a wake-up call. Come spring, they were going shopping for a new one.

Wade still wasn't sure what had happened to her Kimmunicator. The battery checked out fine, taking a full charge and staying that way. He even put the whole unit into his mother's deep freeze for a couple days and it still worked correctly. Shrugging, he made her up a new one, just in case he was missing something, reminding Ron to start carrying his around more often.

"Any word on who the chaperones are this year." Ron asked as she finished packing.

"Nada. All I know is Barkin is coming along as usual. Be just our luck we get Barkin, Director and Snyder. I can just see it now. Every time we try to sneak a kiss, Principal Director will be right there to remind us this is a school function."

Ron shivered visibly. "I swear, I think that woman must have never been kissed, the way she enforces the PDA thingy."

"She's not here right now." Kim put her hands on his shoulders and started rubbing. He craned his head backwards and looked up at her. Leaning over she brushed the tip of his nose with hers, then gave him a quick kiss.

"Yeah, but your Dad sure is. I think he's still thinking of sticking me on the next shuttle to the space-station after Saturday morning."

"So not the drama, Ron. He was just surprised, that's all. I think he was more upset with Mom for letting us do that than he was with us."

"Yeah, but it's a good thing he didn't come up around three." He said with a wide smile.

"Honey, we were just kissing. That doesn't bother him any more." To illustrate her point she sat down on his lap and gave him a much longer, much warmer kiss.

"He'd be bothered if he knew what I was thinking at the moment." He playfully nibbled on her shoulder until she took his chin and raised it up for another kiss.

"I was thinking along those lines too, but thinking and doing are two different things. You were such a good boy that night, even if your hands tended to find interesting places in your sleep."

"Yours too." He said, grinning goofily at her.

"Can I help it I agree with your mother about your behind?" She asked, whispering just in case anybody else was around.

"Kim! My mother talking about my butt is as bad as a cold swimming pool." He protested.

She wiggled her own posterior on his lap and kissed him again. "So not." She said, grinning.

"So, are you kids going skiing, or do you just want to stay home and make out all weekend?" Her father said as he topped the stairs into her room.

Ron tried to hop up, but Kim stayed put, preferring to act like they hadn't been doing anything wrong rather than make a futile attempt to hide the fact they had been lightly smooching.

James smiled at the two. He really was past the point where the kissing bothered him. He was sure it had to do with Ronald, who had demonstrated just how good a boyfriend he really was on many occasions but he still secretly enjoyed making the boy squirm. Upon reflection, he found he didn't have quite so much problem with what he found that morning but the fact remained the kids were still seventeen and even the best behaved teenagers sometimes lost control to their hormone charged emotions.

He looked at his daughter, sitting in the lap of a boy he felt in some ways was like a third son and that thought made him happy. He was still a little sad that Kim was almost completely grown up but he was starting to see her more and more that way and much less the little girl in pigtails he used to drop off at Pre-K. He knew that pretty soon she would be wearing more jewelry than the emerald earrings she almost never took off now and he wasn't just thinking of the class rings that were due any day and that particular thought was far more pleasant than he used to think it would be.

"The boards and Ronald's backpack are all loaded up in the van. You two ready?"

Kim gave Ron a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. "Ready as we'll ever be." She said, not taking her eyes off her boyfriend. Finally she hopped off his lap as he shut down the computer game he had been playing. She picked up her duffel and her small backpack and started for the stairs.

Before she could get there, Ron took the larger bag from her and threw the strap over her shoulder. She smiled at him and took his hand as they followed her father downstairs. This was going to be the best ski trip ever. This time she knew DNAmy was still holed up with her 'Monkey Puddin Pie" in her fortress, most of the rest of her enemies were either incarcerated or otherwise accounted for and the skiing conditions were the best they had been in years (most of the snow from last weekend's blizzard had melted by now, but it was still quite deep higher up.)

Best of all, this year her best friend was also her boyfriend and they were going to spend almost every waking moment together, even if that meant him striving to snow-board a little better and her holding back a little so he could keep up.

She didn't even care that Bonnie would be along, as usual toting her beloved digital camera to record every little faux pas the rest of the students made. Let her do her worst. Maybe she'd even end up tipping her hand to what she was up to. Otherwise the leggy (rhymes with sitch) could ski off a cliff for all she was concerned.

"Oh, by the way," Her father said, turning toward them as they reached the door to the garage. "One of your friends asked if I could give her a lift to the school. I told her I was sure you wouldn't mind."

Kim had a sudden sinking feeling as he went out the door. Her good mood vanished completely as they stepped through.

Leaning against the van in her impossibly tight ski-bunny outfit was Bonnie Rockwaller.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	12. Part XII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XII**

* * *

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" Kim asked as she put her luggage in the rear hatch. "We're going to drive right past your house on the way to the school."

"Sorry, Kim, but I spent the night at Danika Foster's house last night and I had to pick up my things and I just happened to see your Dad loading the car as I was going past."

She shot the deeply tanned girl a narrow eyed stare. The explanation itself didn't completely compute. Kim had been to the younger cheerleader's house herself and for Bonnie to be just 'passing by' her house she would have had to take two extra turns that she shouldn't have had to.

Red flags about the skinny-legged sophomore started going up in her mind as well. Up till this point she assumed most of the newer cheerleaders were firmly in her camp, especially after two aborted coups by Bonnie. That made her worry about Marie and April as well. Phoebe Katz she knew she could count on but the other two were now quite suspect. At least with Phoebe in her camp, the 'senior voting block' didn't have to worry about a potential tie-breaker. Unless Tara and Bonnie were able to patch things up between them. Kim hoped that wasn't likely, since the platinum blonde's eyes had finally been opened to her long-time friend.

Small worries started creeping into her mind. Tara was down with a flu bug and wouldn't be coming on the trip. Hope was, as usual, grounded and Phoebe was with her father on a trip to Israel. That meant Kim's only person guaranteed to have her back this weekend was Ron. Her first thought was that he was certainly enough but she was still worried about what Bonnie had up her skin-tight sleeves.

"Not calling shotgun, Kim?" Bonnie asked, reaching for the front door herself.

"No, Bonnie, I think I'll sit with Ron." She said coolly.

"Amp down, KP." Ron said softly to her as the climbed into the second row seats of the van. "We'll be there in ten minute and we'll have the whole bus to get away from her and once we're up there, we won't have to see her unless we run into her at the lodge."

"Why do I get the feeling it won't be that easy?" Kim said, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms. She sat up slightly and pulled a thick cable of braided hair from behind her and let it fall over her shoulder. She had been trying wearing her hair differently over the last week and was still getting used to the tight braid.

Bonnie turned around to look at them, favoring the couple with a slight smile that oddly didn't have a trace of it's normal snarkiness. She turned back to the front. "Doctor Possible, did I tell you that Ron and Kim are absolutely the cutest couple in the whole school?"

"They're something else, alright." He agreed, looking at the two of them in the rearview mirror. He did a double take when he noticed Kim's extremely sour expression. "What's wrong, Kimmie-cub?"

"Nothing Dad." She met his eyes in the mirror, forcing a smile. "I'm just feeling a little grumpy suddenly."

"You seemed so happy there in the house."

"Just a mood swing, Dad. You know how it is…" She trailed off, shooting him a look that said _do you want to take a trip down TMI street?_

"Oh." He said, turning his attention back to his driving, catching the way she was drifting.

Ron shot her a look, knowing what she was talking about had actually come and gone during the earlier half of the week and knew this was normally a time of better moods for her. They never talked about such things but he knew and knew quite precisely when such things were going on. It was a defense mechanism he assumed all men had.

"It's such a shame you and your wife aren't coming along for this trip. That was so much fun two years ago." Bonnie said with a syrupy sweetness that made Kim cringe.

"Sorry, Bonnie, but Mrs. Dr. Possible is in the middle of a heavy rotation at the hospital and I've got to fly to Washington first thing in the morning for an important meeting." He glanced back. "Besides, I think those two would rather have as much time away from parental supervision as humans possible. Like you said, they're a really cute couple."

Bonnie looked back at them again, giggling pleasantly, a sound Kim likened to the girl's expensively manicured nails being dragged down the front of an old-fashion style blackboard. There was something unwholesome and utterly evil behind that sweet, tittering laugh. Kim once told Ron that her rival was only 'high school evil' but now she wasn't so sure. Somehow she found it easier when everything was out in the open, when the insults and digs were obvious. Her fake smile disappeared completely from her face, leaving her in full 'tweaked' mode.

The twenty minute ride to the school seemed to drag like it was a full hour to Kim. When they finally got there, Ron pulled her aside as her father unloaded the back of the van.

"Kim, I hate to say this, but you need to cool your jets about Bonnie."

"Ron, she is up to something. I feel it in my bones."

He shook his head and quietly spoke. "Did you ever stop to consider that, even if she didn't mean anything she said, she might have just been acting nice for your father's benefit? Ever think she might be forcing herself to act like an adult?"

"Bonnie and adult?" Kim whispered back at him, a little louder than she intended. "I'd as soon believe that witch was an adult as I'd believe she's the big Ice-queen everyone seems to think she is now."

Ron turned slightly away from her and whispered back to her. "Bonnie's eighteen now and I have my reasons to believe she is trying to be a little more mature. Maybe that needs to rub off on some other people." He walked around back of the van and started gathering his gear. This time around he wasn't wasting any energy carrying his little-used skis. He was just bringing his snow-board.

Kim just glared after him, a dark cloud forming over her head, threatening to shoot real lightning bolts at the very next person who attempted to speak to her. Did he actually just tell her she needed to be more like Bonnie?

She walked right up to him and grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him around. "Okay, Ron. I want to know exactly what happened between you two in Japan." She said in a voice that seemed to be a shout and barely audible at the same time.

He blinked twice at the raw fury in her eyes. "No." He said finally.

"No? What do you mean no? You don't get to tell me no like that."

His own eyes flashed a little bit of anger. "I don't? Since when?"

"Since you promised me there wouldn't be any secrets like this." She growled back at him.

"No, KP. I promised there wouldn't be any secrets that would affect us. I've kept that promise, just like when I told you about Yori kissing me. This isn't like that."

"If it's about you and Bonnie then it is like that."

Ron shook his head resolutely. "No, it isn't and if you really trusted me, you'd understand that." With that he picked up his gear and headed off toward the bus.

"Trouble in paradise, K?" Bonnie asked as she picked up her own gear.

Kim clenched and unclenched her fists, her teeth grinding together. "I think you should just leave me alone right now Bonnie." She finally got out in a half-growl, half hiss.

"Do you need a Midol? I've got some in my purse."

Kim shot her a look that she was certain would have reduced the girl to cinders if it had a tenth of the power she felt was behind it. Somehow she reigned that in. "Bonnie, what went on between the two of you over there at Yamanuchi?"

Bonnie shrugged slightly. "Absolutely nothing. It's just, Ron was the only person there I really knew so we talked some and I realized he's really kind of a nice guy, but that's all."

"Why don't I believe you?" Kim asked, her eyes bare slits.

"Because you seem to think everything in the world revolves around you, Kim. You think everything I do is somehow aimed at getting your goat. You think that because I might want to act civil around your boyfriend because I see him as a potential friend that it's just me trying to hurt you. Because under all that play-acting that you're some grown up hero, you're still a spoiled little girl who is always supposed to be the center of attention." She tilted her head over to where Ron was loading his things into the bus under the baleful glare of Steve Barkin. "Maybe he's starting to see that too." With that she turned and headed for the bus herself.

Kim felt a single tear run down her cheek. She glanced around. Her father was talking with another parent, so he hadn't overheard any of the exchange.

Then she started getting it. Bonnie was single now. She thought Ron was a great guy now. That was her angle. She was looking for an opening, any opening where she could drive a wedge between the two of them. Hah! Like that was ever going to happen. Who was it who held him in her arms Friday and Saturday night? Who had been sitting in his lap just forty minutes ago, kissing him with all the promise that one day their embrace would be so much more? Ron was the other half of her whole and she was his. What chance did Bonnie have of interfering with that?

* * *

"What was all that about?" Danika asked Bonnie as they climbed up onto the bus.

"Just Kim being her usual Princess self. Now she's on about what might have happened between me and Ron while we were in Japan."

Danika took a seat near the back of the bus, Bonnie taking one right behind her. The younger girl turned around in her seat and looked at her friend. "So what really did go on? Did you two fool around or something? I know I would want to, especially if he was the only guy around I knew."

"No. We just talked a lot, though his being the only guy I really knew did have a lot to do with it."

"Then why don't you come clean with Kim. Maybe the two of you need to clear the air about it."

Bonnie glared at the blonde. "I thought you were all 'go for Ron' and everything? Take the Queen bee down a peg and all?"

"I am." She said with a slight smile. "But if you keep throwing her into a rage like that." She pointed out the window at Kim, who was stowing her gear, her face still in full 'tweaked' mode. "All she's going to do is throw up a wall around her and Ron. She sees you coming from a mile away."

"It just doesn't seem right to me. If I go on about how much he loves her and how great a guy he really is, how's that going to help me?"

Danika shrugged. "I don't know. You're the one who's supposed to know about all this stuff. I'm just a sophomore and all."

Bonnie eyed her warily. She believed that about as much as she believed Ron was about to rush into the bus and propose to her on one knee.

Slowly it was starting to occur to her that Kim might not be the only rival the younger cheerleader wanted to take down a peg.

* * *

Kim sat down beside Ron halfway back in the bus. She could tell he was still a little steamed at her but he still held her hand as they got under way. The lodge was only thirty miles away but the winding road to there took a good solid hour plus, especially since the roads weren't in the best condition at the higher elevations.

It seemed odd that the only two 'adults' (more than half the seniors were eighteen by now, not including Kim and Ron, whose birthdays wouldn't be until late summer) were on the bus, and one of those was the driver, a thin guy with long, curly black hair and a laid-back attitude that made Ron seem absolutely hyper. He had just moved there from someplace called Springfield or Springland or something. There was little doubt he wasn't going to do much to reign in any of them. He had his headphones blaring the moment the doors closed.

That left Barkin in charge of the ride, though there was little doubt about his ability to keep order. He could cow most of them with a glare alone.

She was starting to have a glimmer of hope that Barkin would be their sole chaperone. That meant much better opportunities to sneak off with Ron, considering the only good make-out opportunity they'd had in the last two weeks was their early morning smooch-fest that last Saturday.

"All right, Listen up people. The lodge had a little problem with some of their rooms. Seems they went too many years without replacing the roof and that blizzard was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, so we've had to find some alternative lodging nearby."

Kim closed her eyes. There was one place that was only five or six miles from the ski lodge that was equipped to handle a group this size. She felt her boyfriend's hand tighten on hers.

"The rest of out chaperones will be meeting us there. I'm sure some of you who went to cheer-camp last year will remember…"

"…Camp Gottagrin."

Kim heard Ron gulp. She knew for a fact Gottagrin wasn't the real name for the place.

Once again, they were returning to Camp Wannaweep.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	13. Part XIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XIII**

* * *

"That cuts it." Kim growled, standing up.

"Possible, sit back down while the bus is moving." Barkin…barked.

"Then stop it. Stop the bus right now, I'm getting off." She said, pointing her finger at the floor.

"No can do, Possible, next stop Middleton Ski Lodge, so…sit down!" He practically roared the last.

"I'm not going. I paid for a trip to the ski lodge and a room at the lodge and they nearly doubled the price over last year. I didn't pay to sleep in a drafty, tick infested cabin for two nights and be shuttled back and forth through the woods."

"You should have thought about that before you got on the bus, Possible."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at the assistant principal. "How could I do that, you didn't drop this in our laps until we were already gone. I want you to turn this bus around and take us right back."

"Not gonna happen. You should have read the package that came with your registration. Nothing in there guaranteed you would be staying at the lodge, only that your transportation, lift tickets and meals would be provided." He stepped closer to her, leaning down so he was nose to nose with the petite teen. "It also said this was a school function for the duration of this trip and that means your butt is mine until Sunday evening and I want 'my' butt back in that seat, do you understand?"

"This is so ferociously unfair. You knew about this before we left."

"Possible, this trip isn't about where we sleep, it's about skiing and having fun." He lowered his voice again. "and you're going to have fun. That's an order!" He barked the last, causing Kim to suddenly drop back into her seat.

Ron put a hand on her arm. "It's okay, Kim. It's just two nights."

"But Ron, you hate that place. If could feel every muscle in your body tense up when he said where we're going."

"I know, Kim, but I've beat that place twice now and it's not like we've got to stay there all day. We're probably not even going to see the place until tonight when we bunk down."

Kim slumped her shoulders. Any other time she would have been proud at the mature resolve he was showing in the face of one of his greatest fears. Right now it just felt like he didn't have her back.

"Dammit, last year when we went there for cheer camp I got put with Bonnie and she kept me up all night snoring or sitting under her tanning lamps," She switched to a growling whisper, "and she didn't want tan lines." Kim shuddered, not caring if she ever saw that bare butt again."

"Kim, Kim, Kim. What is the likelihood of that happening again?"

"Right up there with the likelihood we'd be dragged to Wannaweep instead of a nice heated room and a huge lobby full of over-stuffed couches and fireplaces. I was going to camp out on one of those, snuggle up to you and read that awful book we got assigned this morning." She had already gotten a few hundred pages into it and while it was worlds better than the movie, she just couldn't get into it, even though, so far, the story had been taking place not far from where they lived.

"If the ground isn't too bad, we'll find that place we made out campfire and I'll set one up for you and you can tell me about the story by the firelight. How about that?"

She gripped his hand tightly. "Okay, who are you and where is Ron?"

"He's right here and he's been looking forward to this trip since the holidays and he's not going to let sleeping in a drafty old cabin keep him from enjoying it." He let go of her hand and slipped his arm behind her back. "Besides, I just called Wade and he assures me that Gil is still in Doctor Lurkin's lab."

Kim cracked a smile. At least he still had to have certain reassurances.

"I just hope this isn't like cheer camp with the bed-checks and all that."

"I don't see why it would be. Then we had a camp with what, three hundred cheerleaders and maybe two dozen guys? They had to keep a constant eye on us. Now today, we've got what, thirty people? That means they don't have to crowd us up."

"Think again, boyfriend. It's the dead of winter and those cabins aren't exactly set up for that. I'm willing to bet they've brought in some propane powered space heaters and they're going to bunch us up in the smallest number of cabins possible." She crossed her arms again and glowered. "I've got a really bad feeling about who the rest of the chaperones will be."

"Kim, look at it this way, we're going to have a bon-diggity time snow-boarding and considering the practice I got at home this week with all the snow, I've got some new stuff I want to try on a real hill. Like you always said, you enjoy skiing when you're not being chased by some super-freak's goons!

She put a hand on his lap and gave his thigh a slight squeeze. "Okay, Honey, you win. I'll have fun, just like Lieutenant Barkin ordered. If they're real strict on the rooms, we'll just wait until we get back home." She leaned closer, speaking in a bare whisper. "Tuesday's coming."

"Um, about Tuesday…Dad said they aren't going this week."

Kim's eyes went wide open. "You're kidding me. They didn't even hold off on that trip to pick you up at the airport. Did he say why?"

"Nope. I don't even know why they've been going in the first place."

She slumped down in her seat. "I so can't wait for summer. Being seventeen is really starting to suck."

* * *

They briefly stopped at Wannaweep to drop of their luggage and assign rooms. As Kim had suggested they were using only five of the twenty cabins and naturally were separating the boys and the girls. The plan was to go on to the lodge and do some skiing, have dinner, then return to the camp to bed down about ten that night, pretty much allowing them to do as much as they normally would at the mountain resort.

Their first surprise was the sign posted right outside the gates of the renamed camp. It simply read "Future home of Lake Gottagrin Resort – an Ogehs Investments property."

Kim kept her eyes on the sign as they drove past. "Isn't that the company your mother works for?" She asked Ron.

"Sure is. Maybe that's what they've been doing in Denver. Maybe she's been working on this and Dad's been retained for his actuary services. He can work anywhere, you know."

"Oh God, what if she is on the project and the big announcement she was telling me about is the three of you moving up here when all the work starts on this place."

Ron shook visibly at the notion. "If that happens, KP, I'm going to ask your parents if I can move into the guest room permanently."

"Oh, Dad would love that. He's probably put locks on both our doors…on the outside."

"You don't have a lock on your door?"

Kim shook her head. "I didn't even close my door that much until we started dating. Being on a whole other floor than everyone else privacy wasn't really a big issue. Besides, I don't think Gene and Jean would want to take you away from me now."

"I hope not."

The rest of the camp was a bit of a pleasant surprise. The "cabins" they were using had been refurbished since the last time they were there, though whether it was because the 'Gottagrin' management had been upgrading the property or the new owners had already started their work, they couldn't readily tell. Instead of bunks, the rooms now boasted real beds (though of the run-of-the-mill, stiff-as-a-board motel variety) and fireplaces. They also had attached bathrooms now, so there wouldn't be any trudging out in the snow in bathrobes.

"See, Possible, this isn't so bad now, is it?" Barkin said as he handed her duffle bag to her.

"No. But I'm still tweaked about it. That wasn't fair."

"Life isn't fair…Kim." He said with a stone-faced grin. "How's Stoppable handling it. Last two times we were here he wigged out pretty bad."

"Oh, he's doing pretty good, considering…hey, waitaminute. He saved our butts both of those times." She said, her free hand going to her hip.

"Yeah, he did come through in the clutch, but only after crying like a hungry mutant wiener dog was after him."

She glowered at him for a moment, but he was already handing out more luggage and ignoring her. Shouldering her bag, she looked at the slip of paper with her room assignment. Cabin 9. Her eyes rolled up and she let out a sound that was part sigh, part groan. That was the same cabin she had been assigned the last time and that time…

Kim walked in the door, noting the newly carpeted floor, the fireplace, which already had logs set up in it and the four new beds arranged around the large central room. Her three roommates were already there, unpacking the few things they brought for two nights. Somebody must have a sense of humor. Either that, or they somehow thought the female members of the cheer squad who were along for the trip would want to bunk together for some reason.

There they were, Marie Anthony, a freshman and a gifted gymnast who had yet to fully hit puberty but had the most raw talent she had seen since, well, since she had tried out for cheerleading at twelve. Danika Foster, a sophomore who looked like that spoiled rich girl with the Chihuahua who seemed to be on TV all the time simply because she had a famous name and of course…Bonnie.

"Hi Kim." The brunette said cheerily. "Looks like it's cheer camp all over again, though I do like what they've done with the place."

"I'm thrilled." Kim said flatly. The two younger girls tittered slightly, as if they were in on some private joke. She eyed the two suspiciously, suspecting a loop had formed and she was not in it, suddenly realizing what it felt like when Ron said that.

When she first met that…thing.

"Cheer up, Kim. At least we won't have to fight over who gets the top bunk this time and I did go to a sleep specialist about my snoring." Bonnie said. "Here, why don't you take the bed closest to the fire?"

She almost said something. She was way past warning flags going up, but realized if she confronted her now she just might clam up. It was 'give her enough rope' time. Forcing a pleasant smile she put her bag on the offered bed and started back toward the door.

"Thank you, Bonnie." She said sweetly, then left to go find Ron.

He was already waiting for her outside the door.

"So, let me guess, they've got you rooming with the Walters twins and that little guy with the glasses who used to sit between us third period last year?" She asked, taking his hand as they headed back to the bus.

"No, it's so ferociously cool. They've got me bunked with Rock Banner and a couple other guys from the football team, and they're digging having me as a roomy. How cool is that?"

"It's cool those dummies finally realized what a great guy you are, Ronnie." She hugged his arm as they walked.

The place really looked different this time of year. Both times Kim had been there it was early fall and summer was having a hard time letting go of the place. They were high enough here the ground still had about six inches of ice-crusted snow on it, though the main paths had been carefully cleared. It really was a picture-perfect winter wonderland and she was starting to feel better about the place, especially since Ron had miraculously gotten over his fears. Maybe the place had changed enough he wasn't quite as worried about it as before, or at least his acceptance by the 'cool' guys overshadowed his lingering fears.

"Ready to get down to what we came here for?" She asked, momentarily putting her head on his shoulder.

"I thought that was coming later when we snuck out of our rooms." He replied with a lopsided grin.

"No, loverboy. I mean some slopes action."

"Yep, the Ron-man came to board!" He cheered.

"Yeh-heh!" Repeated the small shape riding in his pocket, giving them both a 'claws' up gesture.

"You know, that's funny." Ron said as they walked past Cabin 1. "I thought that totem pole was over by the lake. I wonder why they moved it."

Kim shrugged as they climbed aboard. They'd changed a lot of things, so why not move the décor?

* * *

Bonnie hung back as the other two girls headed for the bus. Old habits died hard and she was just too intensely curious about her rival. As quietly as she could, she unzipped the light violet bag sitting on the bed. She had already unpacked her things, moving them into the small chest of drawers beside her chosen bed, as had the others, but Kim had simply left her bag on the bed untouched. That in itself wasn't odd, but it did make her snooping a little more chancy.

She tiptoed to the door and gingerly shut it before quickly moving back to the bed. Glancing up one more time, she unzipped the bag, careful not to disturb anything inside until she was sure Kim didn't have any hidden gadgets protecting her things.

Her eyes rolled upwards as she surveyed the extra clothing, especially at the mass of pink cotton that looked to her like a ten-year-old's underwear collection. She really frowned when she picked up the thick book packed in there. Bonnie never would have figured Kim for a Science Fiction fan.

A small jewelry box caught her eye. That was certainly an unusual thing, considering she had never seen Kim wear anything but those gaudy earrings and that cutesy little heart necklace. Curiosity got the better of her, wondering if Ron had actually given her a certain bit of gold and carbon that she wasn't quite ready to show off in public.

Her eyes really went up when all she found inside was a plastic compact with a paper label. She knew in a heartbeat what it was. "I knew it." She said under her breath, carefully closing the lid and putting it precisely back where it had been.

Bonnie was about to close the bag up, armed with a new, potentially devastating tidbit of information on her rival when she spotted something that, from that angle, looked a bit like black silk. Thinking it might be that slinky little dress Kim was so proud of, she reached back into the bag and pulled it out.

It wasn't a dress and once she had her hands on it, she knew it wasn't silk, though the material was soft and cool to the touch. She gasped slightly as the blue bands and piping on the body suit started glowing faintly as she held it.

She had a good idea what the outfit was. She had seen plenty of TV footage where Kim was wearing a white suit just like this one. Running back to the door, she peeked outside. The bus was almost ready to go. There was no time right now, so she carefully folded it back up and put it away, carefully zipping the bag and arranging it on the bed just as she had found it.

This could prove to be a _very_ interesting weekend.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	14. Part XIV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XIV**

* * *

Ron shifted his weight ever so slightly on the deep cushions of the couch, reflecting on the day.

It was definitely a mixed bag.

Kim had been bouncing back and forth between happy and tweaked all day long, almost to the point he was tempted to pull her braid to one side and check her for a Moodulator. Only he knew better. Bonnie was plain and simple getting Kim's goat and he had to be honest with himself, he was getting plain sick and tired of it. As soon as he had the chance he was going to sit down with his girlfriend's rival and ask her plain out to be released from his promise so he could explain everything to Kim. He certainly couldn't think of a real reason not to, considering there was really absolutely nothing he was ashamed to tell her.

He was also going to ask her to try to at least act friendlier to Kim, even if that's all it was, an act.

The skiing, or in their case, snowboarding had been extremely fun. Maybe even too much fun, as the two ice packs resting on his lower legs could attest. He wasn't so much injured as he was sore. Being in dramatically better shape and significantly more confident in his abilities than he had been last year and the year before, he pushed himself a little too far and once he sat down for dinner his legs started stiffening up. Once he started complaining, Kim went into 'this is what Mom would do' mode and ordered him down to the lobby for some extended relaxation time and a couple of ice packs.

She almost made his eyes roll back in his head when she gave him a quite competent deep-tissue massage on his lower legs. With such ministrations he was quite confident he would be ready for more winter-sports fun the next day, though he would have rather tried some of the night skiing under the new lights.

The fun they had during the afternoon more than made up for what seemed like a looming disaster. At least at first.

The moment the bus arrived at the lodge, ten of the students on board, including both Kim and Ron, were immediately summoned to a private audience with one of the chaperones, who had been waiting at the lodge for them. Just as Kim had predicted, Principal Director was in the conference room waiting for them. She was sitting behind one of the long folding tables as if it were a desk. Ten chairs had been arrayed in front of her like it was a small classroom.

That's when the nature of the students summoned to the meeting sank in. Five boys, five girls and not only that, they were the five couples of note who were on the trip together. His heart sank. He could hear it already. "This is a school function, so all the policies relating to public displays of affection are fully in force. We are here to ski, not to make out and most certainly not to do other things."

At least they still had the skiing, Ron thought to himself as he took a seat.

Surprisingly, Wilma Director did something neither of them could remember her ever doing…

She smiled at the five couples. Then she proceeded to remind them to be ladies and gentlemen while they were there representing their school. That was it. No grand pronouncement about no kissing, no hugging and no sneaking away for more private activities. All of that was seemingly implied by pulling them aside like this, at least the last. Kim was openly shocked, pretty much assuming they were about to be read the riot act herself.

The moment the lift deposited them at the trail-head, she pulled Ron aside for a good ten minutes of kissing. By her estimation, Ron was her gentleman and she was his lady and to them, not being in the confines of Middleton High School, there was absolutely no shame in publicly displaying their affection for each other this way, though they did actually walk a little ways into the tree-line for their lip-lock.

"Did the Ronster come to play?" She asked him as she locked her boots into her board.

"Two words, KP. Boo and Yah!" He took one hop, a move that seemed much nicer than his old habit of repeatedly hopping around on his board to get around. Kim shook her head and started after him.

Having finally learned how to do this with a modicum of skill, Ron was actually having a really good time. It was so much nicer swooshing down the trails knowing he stood at least a fair chance of avoiding most of the trees on his way down and not ending up part of a giant snowball by the bottom of the slope.

The wind bit the exposed part of his face with tiny ice crystals. Light flurries were starting to fall but this time he knew there wasn't any chance for another blizzard like they had the week before. The cold was actually invigorating.

This was really great, especially since he wasn't screaming all the way down, though the thought occurred to him this was still better than free-fall. At least here he felt like he was actually in control.

Looking down, he saw Rufus stick his head out of the special pocket that had been sewn onto his new black ski-suit. The little guy was wearing his own tiny helmet and a scarf and was hanging his tongue out like he actually was a Peruvian Hairless.

They hit the top of the first half-pipe. Kim was still behind him, apparently hanging back to keep an eye on him. He swept across the top of the concave channel, shooting up over the edge. He bobbled slightly, but landed it upright, turning sideways to bring himself to a stop. He looked up the slope, immediately catching sight of his partner in her red and maroon ski-suit.

Kim had no intention of stopping. As with anything that took physical skill, she looked like a consummate expert. She shot up over the same edge Ron had just come off of and pulled a 360 before heading back down, executing the same stunt on the other side of the pipe. She was just having fun, warming up and not showing off yet. Jumping over the side, Ron started following suit, though he still wasn't capable of the spins, just catching a little air at the lip each time he got to the top.

Back out in the open, he shot past Kim again. There was another half pipe near the end of the run and this one would have a little larger crowd around it. That's where he was going to push the envelope a little bit.

He did manage to wow the crowd, though with a modern interpretation of the old "Wide World of Sports – Agony of defeat" crash. Fortunately, in a spectacular exhibition of "Dumb Skill" both he and Rufus emerged completely unhurt.

Then Kim hit the pipe and cut completely loose with a display worthy of the X-games. Ron was just glad he was in a good position to see it all.

On their second trip up the lift (which was a fairly long ride since they were running one of the longer trails) they spent some time snuggling. Ron put his hand on the small of her back, lightly kneading her skin, pushing the edge of her sweater up just slightly.

"Hey, I thought you were going to wear the super-suit under this." He said, realizing he was actually touching skin.

"Nah. It's not too bad up here right now, so I thought that would be overkill. I've never needed it up here before anyway."

"Well, maybe we'll get a call while we're here and somebody will thank you for being so prepared."

"You just want to see me in it." She said, putting her head down on his shoulder.

"Well, you do look bon-diggity in it, especially the white one." He winced the moment he said that, knowing Kim was still frightened by what she had done the first time she wore it, or rather the original one."

If it bothered her, she didn't show it. She just lazily played with the tuft of hair sticking out from under his helmet.

"Ronnie, if it were up to you, is there anything you'd change about the way I look?"

He twisted a little to look at her straight on. "No way, KP. You're perfect."

"Nobody's perfect, baby. I'm short and I've got a small chest."

"So. Has it occurred to you that maybe I like you that way."

"So says the guy who's four inches taller than when we started dating." She teased good naturedly.

"You really want to be taller?"

"Sometimes." She answered. "Like when I was waiting for you at the airport and had the bum foot, I couldn't see over most of the crowd."

"What are you now, five, five?"

"Not counting my poofy hair, yeah, about that."

"That's not really short. Not for a girl…uh, woman." He quickly amended as she lightly punched him in the gut. "Hmmm. I know, I'd like to see you with really long hair."

"That I can do. You know I haven't had it cut since the afternoon of the Prom. So , what do you think, as long as Shego's"

"Dye it black?" He asked, laughing.

"Hell no. You think I want to look like that snarky you-know-what?"

He pulled her braid over her shoulder. "I'm just kidding you, KP." He pulled her in for a quick kiss right before they reached the top.

Ron looked over the edge. This time they were well above the tree-line, at the head of a trail he had never been on before. "Why does this look familiar?" He said as he stuck his board in the crunchy snow.

Kim pointed to a point on an adjacent ridge. "That's where Amy's secret lab was. I came up here so I could get a run at it when you and Mister Barkin were captured."

"You think any of that stuff is still there? Maybe some of her rare Cuddlebuddies?"

"Not a chance. GJ picked what was left of the place clean and Amy's lawyers made them account for almost all her collection. I know, I asked."

"You wanted to know about that Pandaroo, didn't you."

"Yep. She had everything but a Flamingoat, which, by the way, I think they only made ten of since they were butt-ugly. Wanna go have a look-see anyway?"

Ron looked at his watch. "We've got an hour of daylight. Are we going to see anything but snow, broken rocks and twisted metal?"

"That's about it." She admitted.

"Nah. Let's hit the lodge. I'm ready for some snackage."

Ron was so proud of himself, he reached the lodge without falling once.

He pulled the ice-packs off his shins and set them aside, twisting his ankles around. He was still stiff, but a small handful of ibuprofen and Kim's massage had done him a world of good. Since they weren't headed out to the slopes any more that evening, he figured he would return the favor as Kim did her reading.

She sat back down beside him, putting a pair of cocoa mugs down on the table where his feet were propped up.

"You don't have to stay in here on my account." He said as she snuggled close to him.

"Forget it, Honey. We're here together. Besides, I like this. A nice big fire, no Tweebs to bother us and I haven't seen hide or hair of Bonnie since we got here save for dinner."

He was momentarily a little uncomfortable that she brought the other girl up, but let it pass lest she start in on him again. He wanted the issue resolved, but a promise was a promise and he was going to keep it until he could convince her to release him.

Kim picked up her backpack and started rummaging around in it. He caught sight of red plastic inside. Apparently she had her grappler gun and very likely several other pieces of her gear, Principal Director's prohibition during school functions notwithstanding. Being caught flat-footed a week earlier was a blow to Kim's pride, even though the evening ended, by his estimation, extremely well.

"Damn." She said, slumping slightly in her seat.

"What is it, KP?"

"I left my homework back at the cabin. Crud. We won't be back there until after ten thirty or so. I'm going to have to take more time than I wanted reading tomorrow."

"No problemo, Kim. I'm right here, ready to do my duty as your study pillow. I might even try my hand at braiding your hair for you."

She put her head back down on his shoulder, pulling the aforementioned cable of hair out of the way. "You're sweet, but I think I'm going back to a ponytail tomorrow. This thing feels like it weight a ton and it doesn't flow or anything, it just keeps popping me on my back." She pulled her knees up, sinking into him a little more. "What do you think I'd look like with short hair?"

"That's easy. You'd look just like your mother, only your hair is slightly darker and has more highlights."

"Okay, nix that idea."

"Why. Your mother's a beautiful woman."

"Yeah, but that look is her thing. Maybe when I'm older. Did you know she had hair down to her knees when she was my age?"

"I think I've seen pictures. She did look just like you, but with blue eyes and thinner legs."

"Great, I'm going to turn into my mother."

"Nothing wrong with that." He said, playing with the end of her braid.

Kim frowned. "Okay, that's enough of that. Here, give me a hand." She pulled the rubber bands holding the end together off and turned her back to him so he could gently work her hair loose. Once he was done, she shook it all out, creating a slightly rumpled waterfall of auburn that hung halfway down her back. It really was getting longer. For so many years it had come to a point right between her shoulders.

She pulled a brush out of her pack. "No, not that one." She said, throwing it back in.

"That the one with the spikes?" He asked, looking over her shoulder as she dug through it. After the incident with the panties and another where he had come up with a feminine product, Kim had finally forbidden his digging through what amounted to her purse, something in hindsight she should have done way back when he'd ended up getting covered in elastic constricting agent. She finally found the right brush and started working the kinks out of her hair. Flipping it over her head, she started brushing the body back into it.

"Oh, man I need a shampoo." She said as she flipped it back and finished brushing it.

Ron could only stare at her, transfixed by what he thought was one of the most beautiful sights in the world. "KP, long, definitely long."

"Sure thing, Ronnie, but when we start having kids, it's going to be 'married hair' for sure."

"Married hair?"

"Yeah. Happens all the time, women with long, beautiful hair get it hacked off when they get married, since all this takes a lot of work to keep looking good and by then it's done its job."

"Well, that cuts it, we're just going to have to stay boyfriend and girlfriend and never get married then if that's going to happen."

She gave him a half-smiling look that clearly said _riiiiiiiiight_.

Suddenly her hands shot to her mouth.

"What is it, KP?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair with his fingertips.

"Something Mom said last Friday. She won a Jinx but she wouldn't tell me what I owed her. She just said 'in the next decade.'"

Ron's smile got really big. "I'm the slow one, and I get it already."

"Grandkids." They said together.

"Jinx, you owe me a kiss." Kim said, poking the center of his chest lightly.

"I always pay my debts." He gave her a slow, light, tender kiss.

"I wish we could stay here all night. I wish we were seven months older and we could rent our own room together." She said, letting her fingers walk up his chest.

"Good things come to those who wait. I get the feeling we're going to spend a lot of time up here eventually." He said, taking her hand in his. "For now, I've got to spread some Ron-shine to the guys in cabin four."

She smiled and put her head down on his chest. "Yeah, until you find out that Rock is first cousins with Bobo the Chimp."

Ron just shuddered, until Kim kissed him again.

* * *

Colonel Dean Snyder, USMC (ret.) stirred his coffee from his vantage point near the entrance of the dining room. Lt. Colonel Wilma Director, USMC (ret.) sat a little ways off to the side, taking a deep drink of hers.

"You know, she had a good shot at valedictorian until you showed up." She said, setting her mug down and nodding toward the young couple in one of the many couches in the lobby.

"Still does, in my opinion. So does the rest of my class. Don't worry, Colonel, her grade is going to reflect the true nature of her work by the end of the term. I just want to really teach them some things while we're getting there." He smiled slightly. Despite his admonition, both of them, and Barkin as well, had fallen back into their old habit of calling each other by their former ranks in private.

"What's the real reason you're here, Colonel? I knew when I got this assignment I'd be working with Major Barkin again and that coincidence I could live with, but you showing up was a little too much."

"What makes you think I'm anything more than a plain old English professor now? I retired ten years ago. How long have you been out now?"

"Eight. Come on, Dean. It's something to do with Possible, isn't it?"

"Yep. She's got a bright future and I'm going to give her a little nudge along the way and if she pulls that boyfriend of hers along for the ride, so much the better." He said, finally taking a drink of his coffee."

"I think keeping them off so many missions has done more to help that boy than anything else." She said in her defense.

"Heh. The way the Major tells it, he was already on his way to improving himself before you even got here."

"Maybe. I'm still not going to let them start running off every time that thing of hers beeps and I showed you the tape of the laser incident."

"Yeah, that one surprised me a little. I'd have thought he'd do that to himself, instead of almost getting zapped by her. Still, I'd hate to be at your table next thanksgiving when your little sister shows up."

"You still think I'm busting her budget by keeping the free help tied up?"

"Yep. Then again, I don't hold their record in much regard. Anybody who'd hold that moron Du in such high regard has to have a few screws loose herself."

"Will's not such an idiot as he seems. It's just when he gets around Possible. Those two are like water and oil."

Snyder shot her a look. "Since when are you on a first name basis with Du?"

Wilma looked startled for a moment, but covered quickly. "Betty drones on and on about how wonderful he is, maybe I just picked it up listening to her."

"Heh." The older man said. He nodded toward the lobby again. "Think those two are going to sneak off for some nookie tonight?"

"Nookie?"

"Their word, why not use it. Sounds a little more gentle than premarital sex, doesn't it?"

She shrugged. "I think if those two put it to their minds to do that, there's not a thing in the world I can do to stop them. I thought they were going to be a problem, but so far she's followed my orders to the letter. Honestly, I'm far more worried about the other couples in this group than them."

Snyder nodded. "You're far more trusting than I'd be in your shoes. Then again, I've got three grown daughters so I had to go through all that with every one of them."

She polished off her coffee and set the large mug down on the table. "Well, it's about that time. Let's round 'em up and head back to base."

"So the fun begins." He sighed, taking one more swallow from his cup.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	15. Part XV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XV**

* * *

Ron walked out the door of the cabin, absently scratching himself in that most typical guy's way. It wasn't quite six in the morning and the sun wasn't even fully up yet, but he awakened as if his alarm clock had gone off beside his bed, his body, at least, trained to be up this time of the morning. Shaking off sleep, he was momentarily disoriented. The bed was far from soft but he had been exhausted so he quickly fell asleep not long after the midnight lights out. Roughly five hours later his not quite fully rested mind had yet to identify exactly where he was.

One step into two inches of fresh powder covering the ice encrusted older six inches of snow and it came back to him in a rush. Not only was he not in his home or Kim's, he wasn't even in a hotel room like he originally expected, though the quality of the bed had fooled him. No, he was standing outside, in his boxers and a tank top, in weather that was at the very least ten degrees below freezing…

…in the middle of Camp Wannaweep.

The shivers he had weren't from the sub-freezing temperature. He'd put on a brave face for Kim when they got there, even summoning the courage to walk with her to where cabin 13 once stood, but the place still gave him the Cold Chill Willies. It didn't matter that none of the things that had bothered him so that summer of his tenth year were here any more. Cabin 13 had been razed after Gill pretty much destroyed it. The remaining larger cabins had been remodeled into semi-rustic hotel rooms. It was mid-winter so the blood sucking arthropods and the evil squirrels were nowhere to be seen and, most importantly, nobody on the trip seemed to be interested in tormenting him, unless you counted Kim's continuing tweak about Bonnie. Even the toxic grotto had been cleaned up and the entire area scoured for any more hidden pools of the old runoff.

No, despite all that, despite all logic that there was nothing there to hurt them, he could feel it in his bones.

Camp Wannaweep was a place of evil!

Ron knew it when he was ten. He knew it when they had been tricked into coming here when he was fifteen. He even knew it when they returned just over a year ago. He still knew it now. On top off all that, every time before he had been right. He was right about the toxic lake. He was right when he saw kids his age who would have normally simply ignored him suddenly turn into his tormentors. He was right when Gill tried to trap them twice and he was right when Summer Gayle had used the water from the lake to create a monster snowstorm over Middleton.

Just being here made him shiver.

Well, standing past his ankles in snow was bound to make him shiver too.

It would have been nice if their ration of firewood hadn't been burned up the night before, but the rest of the guys were apparently a bunch of pyros who'd apparently never seen a fireplace before, which was kind of strange since even most apartments in Middleton had them. Ron just rolled his eyes and watched as the other five guys threw log after log into the relatively new fireplace, cheering as the flames leaped clear up into the chimney. It was a wonder they didn't do something stupid like break up the furniture and throw it in as well.

He did get a chuckle out of the fact he was the one behaving halfway like an adult. Maybe if he'd protested their behavior and made the wood last until morning he'd feel completely mature about it, but they weren't doing anything that would cause lasting harm and there was a more mundane source of heat so he just sat back and let them have their fun.

Even after bed-check and lights-out the flames were still pretty impressive and the talking started. He started getting some notion of why he was now semi-accepted by these guys and of course the talk was running the gamut from their adventures and misadventures on the field and the multitude of ways they had run afoul of their parental units, but it was mostly about girlfriends.

There was no way to avoid it, eventually five sets of eyes came to rest on Ron in the orange glow of their over-fed fire. He felt trapped. He could tell them the absolute truth, which would either amount to admitting to them he was still a virgin or they simply would not believe him, assuming incorrectly the two had been at it clear since the prom. There was no way in the world he was going to lie either.

In a moment of inspiration he just shrugged and said, "She makes me the happiest guy on Earth."

It might not have been the 'whole truth' but it certainly seemed to satisfy them, at least for the time being. He fell asleep feeling a little guilty that what he said could have been construed as Kim was doing_ things _that made him so happy but at least they hadn't pressed for details. It was the best result he thought possible, so he left it at that.

He started to go back inside when movement caught his eye. At first it seemed like nobody else was even up at this hour, but somebody was out on the lake, not far from shore. The moon had come up late and was three quarters full, so there was just enough light to see by.

Ron had never even conceived of seeing Lake Wannaweep frozen over, but there it was. If the place wasn't so full of unpleasant memories for him, he would have to admit it was actually a very beautiful sight, the surrounding landscape covered with snow and ice, the moon reflecting off the sheet of ice on the lake's surface itself.

He stood there transfixed by what he saw. He had seen skating plenty of times before, but it was mostly either on TV, or just the sight of kids circling the rink at Middleton Mall. This was something else entirely. Ron didn't know the names for all the twirls and jumps, but he knew enough to tell that the person out there skating on the lake knew much more about the sport than most. None of the jumps alone were as spectacular as those seen on television during competitions, but the display as a whole was a thing of beauty and grace.

Forgetting for the moment how cold he was, he sat down on the steps of his cabin and watched. He had been skating with Kim several times but for the most part, she moved on the ice like a hockey player, though the last couple times had been spent entirely holding his hand, just enjoying his company.

This skater moved on the ice with the fluid grace of a dancer…like a ballet dancer. Suddenly it occurred to him who he was looking at. He couldn't see her face and her hair was tucked up into a thick stocking cap, but he could tell by the way she moved he was watching Bonnie Rockwaller out there on the ice.

That shocked him just a little. He had known her since Junior High and he never once suspected she could do that. Thirteen years of ballet (if she'd kept at it after the Talent show debacle,) a black belt in Karate and now, apparently, a passably good figure skater. He shook his head slightly, wondering exactly how that would skew how he thought of her.

Her routine finally came to an end and she glided toward the dock. He watched a few minutes more as she took he skates of when he finally realized she was going to walk right past him and he was standing there in his underwear. Not to mention the fact he was now chilled right to the bone. How long had he actually been standing there watching her?

He turned to head back inside, but his feet had gone completely numb in the snow. Without being able to feel the bottoms of his feet, they caught on the step and he went down, hitting his chin on the steps.

Moments later, he realized somebody was shaking him. He opened his eyes and as they focused he realized that he was looking up at Bonnie. She had a pair of skates draped around her neck by the laces.

He shook his head to clear the fuzziness and was rewarded by a splitting headache.

"Ron, are you okay?" She asked, propping him up on the step.

"I…I think so." I think I tripped.

"You need to be more careful." She helped him stand up, brushing a little snow off his shoulders. "My God, Ron, you're cold as ice. Just what the hell are you doing outside in your pajamas?"

He blinked, suddenly remembering he wasn't actually in pajamas, but his underwear, having slept in what he'd worn during the day. The it occurred to him once more, that he'd wanted to be indoors before she got to him. Now it was too late for that and she was standing right there, apparently trying to deflect his embarrassment while she made sure he was okay.

Ron noticed Bonnie had the strangest look on her face. He was used to seeing her look alternately irritated or smug or sometimes happy. He honestly didn't know how to begin to interpret the look she was giving him at that very moment.

"Uh, I better get dressed and all." He said finally, feeling like the few seconds they had been standing there were actually many minutes.

"You sure you're okay, Ron? I heard you hit, that sounded pretty nasty."

"I'm alright, I've had a lot worse knocks from some of the bad-guys." He stood up to go back inside. The lights had come on and he heard voices. Soon almost everyone would be up, getting ready for another day at the lodge and the slopes. "Um, your skating is really nice."

Bonnie gave him perhaps the warmest smile he had ever seen on her. "Thanks. It's been a while since I was able to do it on natural ice."

"I didn't even know you could do that." He said.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me." She said softly as he closed the door.

* * *

Bonnie rushed back to Cabin 9, her mind awhirl with things she wished would go away. She's heard the thunk and saw Ron go down out to the corner of her eye and had rushed right over to him. She figured at first it was her just being a normal human being but after a few moments helping him up she realized something.

She was having the strongest urge to wrap her arms around him and hold him tight. There was also a bit of a desire to kiss him, but it was nowhere near as strong as her craving for an embrace. She had hugged him before when she learned there was a possibility of honest friendship with him but she knew now this was something slightly different, something more.

The problem was, it made her deeply ashamed.

What had seemed so clear to her before now was a muddled mess. It had all been about hurting Kim, about driving a wedge between the two and possibly enjoying a little time with Ron was something more than a secret, hesitant friend. Now it was clear to her that wasn't even possible, that doing anything to come between the two of them wouldn't just hurt Kim, it would also hurt Ron.

Why hadn't she seen that before?

Then there was how he was dressed. She was trying to puzzle out in her mind why she had called his underwear pajamas. Perhaps it was the fact that, as he lay there for a moment, she saw something she had not expected to and it surprised her. It also muddied her thoughts even further.

Scrunching her eyes shut as she covered the last paces to her cabin, she kept telling herself she wasn't attracted to Ron. She just wanted a friend, a real, honest friend. She didn't want him as a boyfriend, she only wanted some man to love her the way he loved Kim, that's all.

That's all?

Bonnie growled to herself as she very nearly tripped the same way Ron had. She let herself back into the cabin, throwing her skates onto her bed. Danika was busy brushing her hair out and she could hear voices in the bathroom, where apparently Kim and Marie were already up, getting ready for the day.

She glared for a moment at the softly smiling blonde, sitting there in a flimsy nighty working on her hair. All she cared about was taking Kim down a peg, and most likely taking her down as well. That was fine, Bonnie could respect that, though she was finding less and less to respect about Danika as a person.

Bonnie knew that she would never win Ron over by knocking Kim down, much as she wanted to do so to that little Princess. No, the only way that would ever happen would be for her to be just as good as Possible.

How could she make that happen?

Listening to the other girls giggling in the bathroom, her eyes came to rest on Kim's luggage.

* * *

"Okay, let me see." Kim said, reaching under his chin. She'd made him sit down on the steps as they got ready to get on the bus.

"Really, KP, it's just a bruise." He protested as she examined his injury.

"Um, hmm. Looks more like you've gone three rounds with Monkey Fist." She said. "At least you're not being a baby about it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He said as she helped him up.

"It means you're behaving like an adult instead of moaning about having a nice purple bruise on your chin, Honey. Okay, I see what you mean, that didn't come out too good."

"So, what are we up for today?" He said, grabbing his board where it had been leaning against the cabin.

"Just going to play it by ear." She said. "Though I do have to spend some time reading this afternoon, so if you want to hit the slopes by yourself…"

"No way, KP. Since we're staying at Wannaweep, rule one applies. You're not going to do any dangerous reading without your buddy."

She giggled slightly at the joke, then stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" He asked, trying to figure out what had apparently caught her attention.

"I don't know. Something just pegged my weirdar, but I can't put my finger on it." She slowly looked around, from building to building. Ron did the same, not really wanting to admit his 'bad road' feeling had been going off almost constantly since they got there.

"Maybe it's just nerves." She said finally, resuming their trek to the bus.

"Did Bon-Bon keep you up all night snoring?" He asked, remembering the last time she had been forced to bunk with her teammate.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow. I'm glad we didn't make any plans to sneak away last night."

"There's always tonight, KP." Ron said, Putting his free hand on the small of her back.

"I'm kidding, Ron. It's easier for us to get some 'us' time at home anyway. Let's just have some fun today."

"Okay." He stopped suddenly and stuck his board down in the snow, pulling Kim closer to give her a great big good-morning kiss.

"Mmmm, at least we know your jaw is still working properly." She said, giving him a couple more quick pecks while his arms were still wrapped around her.

They walked the rest of the way to the bus, hand in hand, not noticing the round hole in the ground beside Cabin 1.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	16. Part XVI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XVI**

* * *

Kim and Ron sat on the bus curled up together. They had taken a seat near the back for the thirty minute ride back to Wannaweep (they just couldn't make themselves call the place Gottagrin) and since it was quite dark outside, they were comfortable continuing their after dinner activities. Taking advantage of the night-skiing, they had ventured onto one of the side trails, breaking out two pairs of night-vision sunglasses so they could see their way. Ron still hit something and went down, taking Kim down with him as she plowed into his prone form. They both came up laughing, propping themselves up by their elbows in the snow.

Moments later, after a quick hunt for Ron's glasses, they found themselves making out beside the darkness enshrouded trail, not caring they were sitting in cold snow. Much of the day had been like that, despite the fact it was actually easier to find time for kissing at home.

After breakfast they took the long lift ride back up to the top of the cross-country run. This time, with daylight on their side, they actually did do a little exploring in DNAmy's abandoned lab. Just as Ron had suspected, it wasn't much more than a lot of broken rock and a little twisted metal. Whoever actually owned the property apparently had been up there to remove any valuable scrap.

Still, the main cavern was intact and it dawned on them that it was a quite private and secluded place and with the sun out that day, the temperature was quickly climbing into the low forties, making it very comfortable for the two of them to share some of their warmth by opening their jackets. Ron's hands on her waist sent the good kind of chills through her as they kissed.

After lunch they spent several hours at the lodge while she caught up on her reading assignment. Every so often she would give Ron a synopsis, explaining just how wrong the movie had actually been. "They left out major characters, went off on silly tangents and get this. Remember when I said there was no way they'd be able to get those jets to fly? Well, they didn't even use jets, they stole the bad guy's planes. Makes me wonder what the people who made that movie were smoking."

Ron just smiled and went back to contentedly kneading her shoulders.

Midway through their dinner of Fried Chicken (which Kim pronounced good, but that nobody, not even Ron could make it as good as her Nana could) they heard a sound they really didn't want to hear.

_Beep-Beep-De-Beep_.

Even though they had a table for two, enough of their classmates were close by and many sets of eyes were suddenly on them. Pulling her Kimmunicator from her leg pocket, Kim hit the answer key.

"Hey, Wade, what's the sitch?" It stuck her the moment the words left her mouth how little she got to ask that lately.

"Kim, it's the Seniors."

Her eyes rolled. "What are they up to now?" She picked up a half eaten drumstick, then let it fall back to her plate.

"So far they seem to be behaving themselves, but I just wanted to let you know they've bought some property outside of Mexico City and it appears they're building another home there."

"Okay. Any chance they might not be on the up and up with this one?" She asked.

"Doesn't look like it at the moment. Problem is, the Mexican Government doesn't have a gripe with him right now and he's spending so much money they don't want to cut into the tax revenue."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "So he's building a house and spending a lot of money. What's the big?"

"GJ is really antsy about it, that's what. I haven't been able to dig up what they're so concerned about, but it seems to focus on a Mexican Government warehouse that is fairly close to the Senior's new property."

"What's in it?"

"Near as I can tell, it's a seized property warehouse, specifically meant to house merchandise confiscated for copyright infringements."

"That doesn't sound like much to me." She said.

"It might not be. Doesn't sound like the Senior's style to try to make off with a bunch of fake Gucci handbags or something. They'd be more likely to steal the whole factory that makes the real thing."

Kim nodded. "Keep me posted if anything _interesting_ shows up."

"Yeah, couldn't this have waited until we got home?" Ron griped, picking some meat off a thigh.

"Sorry, guys. I was just a little bored, and this was the first time today I wasn't getting elevated pressure and endorphin readings and such."

Kim's eyes narrowed. "Wade, are you telling me that you can tell when we're making out?"

"Uh, gotta go, see you guys when you get back." He said, killing the connection.

Kim growled slightly, picking up her fork and tweaking the tines.

"Does this mean no more kissing?" Ron said, frowning deeply.

She shook her head and rubbed her leg against his under the table. "No way, Ronnie. If Wade wants a show, we give him a show, though when we get home we're going over to his house and have a nice long conversation about certain things."

"You don't think he really knows when we…"

"More than likely." She said, finally taking another bite of her chicken. "Wade knows how to read the telemetry from out tracking chips, so he can probably tell the difference between, say, us out skiing and sitting up in that cavern making out."

"Sick and wrong." He muttered, letting the bony remains of his chicken fall to his plate. Apparently the revelation didn't have any effect on his appetite, as he quickly started buttering another biscuit.

Later, during their night skiing, they made sure to put on a pretty good show for their tech guru, though they correctly assumed he was too embarrassed to continue that evening and had shut down everything but the locator.

The kissing on the bus was light and tender, brief little pecks giving them an excuse for their faces to linger so close together without drawing the attention of their classmates around them. Not that it mattered, two of the other couples were following their lead snuggling in the back of the darkened vehicle.

"Do you know what this reminds me of?" Kim asked.

"What's that, KP?" His hand found the edge of her sweater under her jacket, gripping her bare waist underneath, making her snuggle even closer to him.

"Mmmm, that's nice. Your hands are sooooo warm." She said, closing her eyes. "This feels like when we were in Fort Summerdell last summer, out on the boardwalk."

"Yeah it does, though I also remember what we almost did then." They had decided on that warm night that the 'time' was right, though after three aborted attempts following that romantic evening, they realized it really wasn't.

Six months later, considering what the two of them had been through together during that time, Kim found herself re-evaluating that whole idea again.

"Like I said, Ronnie. It feels the same." She said, barely whispering.

"What are you saying, Kim?" He whispered back.

She kissed him, briefly, tenderly. "Only that I love you so much." She kissed him again. "And I don't want to spend tonight in a cabin with Bonnie, Bonnie Junior and a little girl." Kim really liked Marie, but had to face the fact the girl was barely fourteen and looked even younger. Some of the talk before bed time the night before made her a little embarrassed for the girl, who seemed a little lost, especially since sixteen year old Danika seemed to be more worldly than the other three girls combined, though Kim suspected the skinny girl was particularly full of something.

"O…kay." He said, holding her a little tighter around the waist.

"I think, after bed-check we should see how good they taught you at ninja-school and maybe go down to the boathouse or something…and play it by ear." For emphasis she reached up and traced the edge of the aforementioned body part.

Ron laughed softly. "It seems to me the last time we planned something like that, we both fell asleep and missed out." He thought it was pretty funny that they'd even thought about the very thing that morning and Kim admitted this would be so much easier to do at home, but there was something romantic about finding time to be alone on a trip like this.

Kim chuckled a bit herself. "Then the following night, Wade beeped in at exactly the wrong moment." They had been right on the verge, literally in the process of undressing each other.

"Good old Wade…hey, do you think he knew what we were doing?" He shook slightly, realizing if Wade knew when they were just kissing, if he had been watching the readouts as they prepared to go further…

She frowned. "I hope not." She thought furiously for a moment, trying to remember past the frustrating interruption. "It was a real call from GJ. I don't think he's going to have them send a hoverjet just to protect our virtue or something. Besides, he didn't do anything the next night. It was us chickening out."

The girl in the seat in front of them extricated herself from her boyfriend's arms and turned around. "You know what it sounds like when you two start whispering like that?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Kim sunk down in her seat, hiding her eyes behind her hand, glad that it was too dark to see how red she was getting.

The girl shook her head slightly. "We call dibs on the boat house." She said, turning back to her now-mortified boyfriend.

Five or so minutes went by until Ron finally whispered. "You think we're ready this time? Think we're not going to chicken out?"

She ran a hand down his cheek. Apparently he hadn't shaved that morning and it was a little rough. "There's one way to find out, Baby." She purred slightly as his hand squeezed her waist. "Right here, right now if we were alone…" She reached up and kissed him tenderly on his cheek.

Giving his thigh a squeeze she went on. "We've both got some rough memories of this place and considering how it's changed hands, it's probably the last time we'll ever be here, so I want to make happy memories about this place. Think about it." She whispered as softly as she could. "After all of the evil that's come out of this place, it would become where we had our first time."

The bus trundled to a stop as it pulled through the gates of the camp, their driver having an even worse time than Barkin did with the tight turn into the lot.

Both of them sat up in their seat, their tender connection broken as the hairs on the backs of their necks stood up. They exchanged a look, knowing what the other was thinking. This was something beyond nerves, beyond past bad experiences here.

Something was most def wrong.

Thoughts of sneaking off to do much more than simply make out were instantly shoved to the back burner.

The silence on the bus as it came to a halt was a clear indication that the others could feel it too.

"This place is way creepy." They heard Bonnie say in the darkness. For once she had to agree with her rival, though given the choice between fight and flight, Kim was generally pre-disposed to fight.

Then it hit Kim. There were three streetlights illuminating that part of the camp, yet none of them were on. With the moon not expected until some time in the morning it was pitch black outside. Even the stars were shrouded behind clouds bringing fresh flurries.

"Is the power off?" She asked, reaching into her bag for her night-vision glasses.

"Looks that way." Barkin said. Kim was wondering if it really was a good thing for Director and Snyder to be following in their car. They'd lost them somewhere during the winding ride, leaving Barkin and their driver the only full adults on hand, and somehow she figured the driver really didn't count himself.

The assistant principal had known her long enough that he didn't say anything when Kim was the first one off the bus. He'd gone into the toolbox under the driver's seat and had come up with a weak-beamed flashlight, the plastic kind you had to rap on your hand a couple times for the thing to actually work. The kind that actually cost less than the batteries inside it.

Touching a control on the temple, Kim switched her glasses from ambient light to thermal imaging, though with all the snow that didn't help much. It was too dark for one and too cold for the other.

Ron already had the solution. Rufus was up on his shoulder holding a military style tactical light. It may have cost almost a hundred times more than Barkin's pitiful little light, but at that moment it was worth every penny.

Taking his lead, Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator. The screen could be used for illumination for short periods. In fact, it was bright enough it had once been used to simulate the headlight of an oncoming subway train.

What she saw chilled her far more than the rapidly dropping temperature.

Several of the cabins lay in ruins, including both Cabin 4 and Cabin 9. With a sharp intake of breath, she sprinted toward her ruined temporary home.

"Possible, stay together." Barkin shouted after her.

"I'm with her, Mr. B." Ron said, taking off after her, his light bobbing in the darkness.

She had already reached her cabin, propping the Kimmunicator against the ruin so she could see. Frantically she started digging through the rubble, tossing splinted bits of log and chunks of newer gypsum board aside.

"Oh my God." He heard her say in the darkness.

"What is it, KP?" Ron asked, taking his light and shining it a little more directly where she was.

Kim was on her knees. Right in front of her was her lavender colored bag. She'd pulled the contents out around her, scattering her remaining clean clothes and underthings around her. "It's gone." She said with a small voice.

"What is, KP? We didn't bring that much with us."

"Don't you remember? I brought one of my super-suits with us. Dammit, how could I be so stupid." She started grabbing handfuls of her belongings, stuffing them roughly back into the bag. "Damn fool stupid woman…girl." She growled, sitting down heavily.

"Kim, you've got another one, and it won't take Wade any time to whip up a new one for you."

"Ron, don't you get it? There's a reason those things are kept in a locked vault in the back of my closet. Stupid me, bringing it along just to stay warm. Six million dollars worth of suit and I treat it like long underwear."

"Six…million…dollars?"

"That's what Wade told me it would have cost to develop it if he hadn't built it himself. It still cost him a bunch of money."

"How? What?...eep." Ron finally said.

"Yeah, eep. Wade's worth a lot of money, with all his research work and patents. All this stuff he builds for us, it's not free by any means." She said, putting her chin down on her fists.

There was a low moaning sound and it wasn't coming from the bus where the rest of the students had remained. Ron spun around, trying to place the source.

Kim was instantly on her feet, realizing that whatever had done this much damage to the thick logs of the cabin might still be close by.

"You said Gill was still accounted for, right?" She said, switching her glasses from mode to mode, trying to make out anything around them.

"Yeah, he's still stuck halfway between one L and two L forms. Doctor Lurkin said he wouldn't be a problem."

Then it's something else.

The moaning sound reached them again, closer this time. There was another sound, like something large walking around.

Something crashed. Cabin six started tumbling down as something large and dark tore its way through it like it was made of popsicle sticks instead of eighteen inch thick logs.

At first all they could see was a dark shadow and two perfectly round glowing eyes some fifteen feet above the ground. Then Ron swung his tactical light around, bringing it to bear on the apparition.

Standing on two legs, the stylized animal it had been carved into seemingly coming to life, stood the totem pole that had once sat on the shore of Lake Wannaweep, it's eyes glowing softly in the darkness.

Ron, naturally, screamed.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	17. Part XVII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XVII**

* * *

Kim and Ron stood there transfixed for a moment. Kim was already in her battle-ready stance even before Ron ran out of breath from his scream. Even with his huge boost in confidence, the sight of the animated totem pole in the midst of Wannaweep was enough for him to, at least momentarily, revert to his old ways.

The thing had no mouth to speak of but it still had a voice of sorts. It sounded like an old wooden building groaning in the wind.

"SQUEEEEEEEB" it rumbled.

Kim risked a look at her boyfriend. At least his features stood out in sharp relief with her night-vision glasses set to thermal imaging.

Surprisingly, the monster using the same taunt that Gill had used had the opposite effect than the one she was expecting.

He dropped into a what vaguely resembled a martial arts stance and growled "Oh, bring it, splinters."

The monster stood there for a moment, as if it were could not quite figure what the two tiny humans intended to do. Then there was a sound like a tree trunk cracking in the wind. Two burly arms appeared at its side, as if the great bear that comprised the top half of the thing was about to sweep the two of them up in a huge, deadly hug.

"Um, Ron, that thing just smashed a bunch of great big logs, I don't think monkey kung-fu is going to do much to it."

It chose that moment to charge.

"Runaway?" He asked in a tiny voice, though he was still holding his ground.

"Oh yeah." She grabbed him by the shoulder and headed for the woods.

They could hear it crashing through the remains of Kim's cabin. Fortunately, it wasn't terribly fleet on it's short, stumpy legs, though in the dense foliage they weren't making very good time, considering the lack of light or heat to operate her glasses and the fact Ron was too busy concentrating on running to hold his light steady.

"It's still coming after us, KP!"

"I know. Ron, which way did we run?" She was desperately trying to remember the lay of the land. Both times she had been there before, she had stayed almost exclusively in the main part of the camp and for a good portion of that she'd been encased in mutagenic slime, forcing Ron to step up and become the hero she always thought he could be.

A small smile crossed her face. How cool was it to love a guy so much that she could think of the reason she felt that way when they were running for their lives.

"I…gasp…think north." There was a thud and the light suddenly disappeared. Moments later it was back up. He'd tripped on something.

She was actually shocked she hadn't planted her face in the snow herself.

The only thing that saved them was when the white covering the ground everywhere suddenly disappeared.

She grabbed Ron's jacket as he rushed by her, pulling him back from the edge of the bluff.

"Whoa! I don't think I've ever been here before." He said.

"I thought you were the one who knew the lay of the land out here." She said, leaning on her knees and gasping for breath. It took far more energy to run in the crunchy, week old snow than normal.

"I know every inch of the camp itself, but they never let us off the property." He paused, listening. Every so often they would hear a tree fall in the distance. Somewhere out there the creature was searching for them.

"Do you think it's still after us?" He wheezed.

"I hope so." She said. "Come on." She pulled him to the left, taking it a little slower so they wouldn't fall.

"You hope so? I thought we were trying to get away."

"If that thing is following us, that means everybody else can get away."

"Oooooh." He said. He panned his light around.

Kim had been in front of him just a moment before. Now his beam fell on just trees and snow.

"Roooooon!" He heard a scream from somewhere below him.

* * *

The crunching and crashing was all they could hear on the bus. The vehicle itself was pointed in the wrong direction, so even the twin beams of its headlights did nothing to illuminate whatever was going on at the cabins.

If it hadn't been for the fact every single person on the bus had heard it many times before, Ron's blood curdling scream would have sent them into a panic.

There was still a murmur of collective fear. Clear sounds of destruction followed by the scream, then more crashing in the near pitch-black was enough to frighten even a veteran like Barkin. If this had been the jungles of Jai Alai he would have actually felt somewhat comfortable. Then the enemy had been people just like him. Here he knew better.

He was actually coming to believe the place was curse, just like Stoppable kept insisting.

He panned his flashlight around, but the beam was so feeble it was almost completely ineffective. After a few moments, the bulb went from white to yellow and finally orange before it simply went out. There was no telling how long the light had been sitting nearly forgotten in that tool box and the freezing temperatures didn't help the batteries one bit.

The Pixie troop was going to have his head for venturing out so unprepared.

Bonnie sat in her seat, clutching her day-pack. Every so often her fingers would reach for the zipper tab, but each time her hand slipped back to her waist. A bit more understanding of Kim Possible crept into her mind. Kim could face this sort of thing. She found, suddenly, that she could not. Like her rival she had been glued to a tree with slime at this place and she didn't have the advantage of a Kimmunicator to learn that the creature responsible for doing that to her was incarcerated at a lab almost two hundred miles away from here. For all she knew, Gil Moss, who had become the slime monster known as Gill, was somewhere out there, still trying to seek his revenge against Ron.

Thinking of him being in trouble like that, out there facing that thing brought her hand to the zipper once again. Ron, if nothing else, was willing to be her friend. No matter how rotten she had been to him through their teens, no matter how much spite and actual hatred flowed between her and Kim, he was still willing to offer an olive branch, so willing that he never once put any kind of condition on his potential friendship.

She pulled the zipper a couple inches. Then she thought of that fish-like creature again. The last time she had seen it, it was more than twice its original size and even though she helped capture it, she had nightmares about it for a month.

No. Ron was out there with Kim. Her feelings for the head cheerleader aside, she knew what she was actually capable of. She also had a lot more respect for his abilities than she cared to admit to anyone.

Her hand fell away from her pack as tears rolled down her cheeks in the darkness, the cold liquid damning her weakness and cowardice as they fell silently on her collar.

Outside a white sedan pulled up.

"Barkin, what's going on? Why are all the lights off." Principal Director said as she shut the car off. Snyder piled out of the other side. His old car had been left at home, the convertible being utterly inappropriate for the icy mountain roads.

"Something's happened at the cabins."

She climbed onto the bus and reached past the driver, turning the interior lights on.

"Douse those lights, that thing could still be out there."

She spun on her heels, though she did shut the lights back off. "Where are Possible and Stoppable?"

"Uh, they went to go check out what was happening."

It was too dark on the bus for him to see her scowl clearly but even though he was far more than twice her size she shoved him roughly back out of the vehicle.

"Major." She growled at him so the students could not hear. "Just what do you think you are doing sending students into an unknown situation."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, I've seen some pretty freaky things at this place and those two are probably the best suited people on this planet to deal with it."

"Deal with what, Barkin? A black-out?"

"It's more than a black-out." To punctuate his words, the sound of trees snapping in two, somewhere off to the north reached them.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know yet."

The sound drifted out of the woods. It was louder but the couldn't tell if it were closer or just the thing that had been making the noise becoming more violent.

"Damn and hell." She said, opening the trunk of her car. She pulled out a pair of heavy black metallic flashlights and handed one to the larger man. Together they ventured into the lane between the cabins, seeing for the first time the destruction that had been wrought.

"Colonel," He said, reverting to his military training. "Make sure the rest of the kids are on that bus and get the hell out of here. Don't stop until you get back to Middleton."

"Major, are you saying we're just going to leave Kim and Ron here to deal with…whatever did this?"

"No, I'm saying you're going to get the rest of the civilians out of here…"

"…I never said _I_ was leaving anyone behind."

* * *

Listening intently for any sign the Totem creature was getting closer, Ron carefully leaned over the gap Kim had just fallen into. The clouds were starting to clear a little, but the stars were just to dim to offer much help. He shined his light down, trying to find where her voice had come from.

"KP? Where are you?" He shouted.

The beam finally came to rest on two shining eyes. "Right here, Ronnie." She said weakly. She was at least fifty feet below him.

"How bad are you?" He asked, trying to see a way to get down to her.

"Ankle." She said, grunting slightly from the pain.

"Same one?" Kim had only recently been cleared for regular activities after she got a hairline fracture during a fight."

"Yeah. I think it's only twisted but…grrrrrrrr," She half-moaned, half growled." There's a lot of ice down here and I can't get a grip on anything.

"Kim, your grappler. It was in your pack."

"Already thought of that, Baby. It's not on me, I lost it somewhere when I fell."

He winced slightly. Kim almost never called him by pet names in a sitch. It was always plain and pure Ron. She must have been in a lot more pain than she was letting on.

Somewhere in the woods, a tree was snapped in half. It was definitely a lot closer than it had been before.

Thinking desperately, Ron slapped at his pockets (save he one where Rufus was.) He cursed softly, realizing his Kimmunicator was in his pack back on the bus.

"KP, did you grab your Kimmunicator?" the last time he had seen it, the little device was still propped on a broken log, shining light on the ruin of Kim's cabin.

"Nope, sorry Honey. Was runnin too fast to pick it up."

Gritting his teeth, Ron shined his light up and down the path Kim's body had taken when it tumbled down the face of the bluff. Finally he spotted something a slightly different shade of brown than the disturbed earth.

"I see your pack." He called down to her.

"Can you reach it?"

"No way. It's about halfway down. I'm going to try and climb."

"No, Ron." Her voice got a little more forceful. "I'm on a ledge and I can't tell how much of a drop is underneath me. I lost my glasses too."

He shined the light down on her again. She shielded her eyes at the glare, allowing him to see something he'd missed before. It wasn't a lock of her hair that glistened red across her forehead.

"SQUEEEEEEEB" drifted to them out of the woods. It was close enough he could make out the footfalls.

"Yipes." He squeaked.

Some hundred or so feet away he could see the glowing orbs of the Totem's eyes floating about fifteen feet above the ground.

Cold fear started mixing with something else.

"Ron?" Kim called from below.

"It sees me." He said, facing the thing as it slowly advanced on him.

Rufus screamed and dove deeper into his pants pocket.

_When you need it most, it will be there._

He shook his head. He didn't know who had said it or why, but if he needed something, he needed it now.

The totem pole stepped into the clear.

Ron stood there straight and proud. The fear that gripped him was replaced with the knowledge that all that stood between that thing and the one person he loved most in the world was him.

He suddenly realized he could see the monster as plainly as if it were bathed in the light of a full moon that would not rise for several hours yet. He could see everything, the forest, the snow covered ground, the whole world was lit with a blue ethereal glow.

"Rufus!"

Despite his fear, the little Naked Mole Rat popped back out of his pocket sanctuary and skittered up onto Ron's shoulder.

"Climb down the bluff and see if you can get to KP's pack. I'll take care of splinter-boy here."

"Uh huh." He squeaked, hopping down and scrambling over the edge.

The totem charged, its stumpy legs carrying it faster than he would have believed possible.

Ron screamed again.

Only this time is wasn't a scream of fear. This came from somewhere else. If there had been another human being to see him at that moment, they would have witnessed his body wreathed in blue light as if he were actually on fire. His eyes glowed blue, almost turning pure white as he leaped into the air at his onrushing nemesis. A fist flashed forward as two great wooden bear arms sought to clap him between them.

There was a clap like thunder.

When he had first gone to the Yamanuchi School, Ron threw a kick at a large tree after witnessing the other students splitting logs with nothing but their hands. He struck the trunk with enough force it should have shattered all the major bones in his leg. Instead, he was utterly uninjured.

The tree did not fare so well. The trunk was completely split asunder, a fact that was lost on many as that same tree fell and demolished a thousand year old building. One student who had taken great pleasure in mocking him had even remarked the tree must be old and rotten.

He never knew that the same student was taken aside and shown that the tree had indeed been healthy and solid. Something within Ron had the power to destroy a thick, strong, healthy tree in one blow.

Whatever animated the totem pole he had no clue, but it was made of wood, just like that tree had been. What's more, it had not been carved from a great hardwood like a real Native American religious icon would have been and it had been sitting forgotten, slowly drying and rotting in the one-time abandoned camp.

When Ron hit it with the full force of his resurgent Mystical Monkey Power, it looked like the top half of the thing simply exploded as if it had taken a direct hit from a stroke of lightning.

He sailed up and past the remains as its momentum carried it forward. Flipping twice, he landed catlike in the crunchy snow.

The lower two thirds of the pole sailed over the edge, disappearing into the benighted chasm. He rushed to the edge, hoping beyond hope that it had not struck Kim and taken her with it.

As the power fled his body, he caught a glimpse of it as it smashed against a boulder far below them.

"KIM!" He shouted as everything was plunged into darkness once more. His heart plunged when he realized he had also dropped his light.

"KP! RUFUS!" He shouted over the edge when he didn't hear a response.

Then there was a loud bang and something sailed past him to the right, followed by a faint whirring sound. His attention was jerked back to the edge of the cliff when he heard a soft 'oof' right below the lip.

"KP!" His hand wrapped around her arm. She had hit the lip when the grappler pulled her upwards. He got another hand on her arm and hauled her up. A quiet chittering and squeaking announced the presence of Rufus, presumably riding on her shoulder.

"Kim, you okay?" He said, gasping as he fell down beside her on the edge of the cliff.

"Been better, Ronnie."

He sat up in the darkness. The clouds thickened again, obscuring even the faint starlight. Kim lost her night-vision glasses, his were in the same pack that held his Kimmunicator and he had no idea where to look for his fallen flashlight. Considering it was no longer lit, it had probably been damaged anyhow.

"Isn't this a fine how-do-you-do." He said, scooting a little further from the edge.

Kim gingerly checked the gash on her scalp. "We're alive, aren't we?" She said, reaching for his arm in the near pitch black.

"Yeah. I guess we're going to have to sit here until morning." He grumped slightly.

Kim felt around until she found his shoulder. Then her hand patted its way to his head, before forming a fist and lightly rapping on it. "I know there's a lot more than air under that hair, or did you leave your watch on the bus too?"

"No. It's ten forty-five. What good is that going to…"

Even though he couldn't see her face he realized she was glaring at him rather intensely.

"Oh." He said sheepishly as he pressed the hidden button on the protective ring.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	18. Part XVIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XVIII**

* * *

Kim winced as the nurse pulled the compress away from her scalp, just above her forehead. She had heard about head wounds bleeding way out of proportion to their severity, but having your own blood running down into your eye was bad enough and it freaking hurt!

"So, what's the verdict?" She asked as the nurse started cleaning some blood the temporary bandage had left behind.

"The verdict? That your cranium must be made out of titanium or something. No concussion, just the gash right above your scalp line." She dabbed at the wound, even though Kim kept trying to shrink away. "Come on now, I thought you were supposed to be so tough."

"I can usually bob and weave when somebody's trying to hurt me."

She snorted slightly. "As I've heard you saying to somebody else on the footage they show of you, quit being a baby. I don't know what's worse, treating doctors or treating daughters of doctors."

"Hey." She said petulantly, but she sat still and let the woman finish. "Is it going to need stitches?"

"In a manner of speaking." She broke a small plastic tube in half and went to work on the gash.

"What is that?" Kim asked as a familiar smell reached her nose.

"Actually, it's really nothing more than sterilized super-glue."

Kim almost raised an eyebrow but thought better of it. "You're actually gluing me back together?"

"Ain't is cool? There, see now, a couple years ago we'd have to shave some of that pretty hair off and, oh, I'd say four, maybe five stitches."

Kim held her foot up. A temporary immobilizing brace was strapped to it, effectively trapping her on the ER table while she waited for the x-ray results to come back. "So what about my ankle?"

"The pictures came back negative there too. It's just sprained. Wrap it up, stay off of it for a couple days and you should be right as rain." She unstrapped the brace and wrapped the ankle up in an ace bandage, then took a chemical ice pack, broke the ampoule inside and put it on. "Doc wants to know if ibuprofen's going to be okay, or if you need something stronger."

"The Ibuprofen will be fine, please and thank you. It's not hurting that much any more and I don't like how the other stuff makes me feel."

"I know what you mean."

"So how's Ron?" Kim finally asked, wondering why she hadn't seen him yet. His injury wouldn't have kept him off his feet.

"He didn't fare so well as you in x-ray. They're should be putting the cast on right about now."

"Oh boy." Kim gulped.

By the time they were able to contact Wade they saw a light bobbling in the woods. Realizing it was a flashlight and not another totem pole monster, they called out, or rather Ron called out because the shouting was making Kim's head hurt.

Steve Barkin was immensely relieved to find them, though he was a bit distressed at finding Kim somewhat less than whole. He carried her all the way back to the ruin of the camp and put her in Principal Directors car to take them to be treated.

Up to that point, Ron had been whole and healthy, showing no signs of his battle with the creature. Barkin hadn't even asked them what happened. Twice he had to deal with Gill in that very camp and he had almost been chased out of his home by the toxic zombie snowmen the lake water had created. Their description of an bio-chemically animated totem pole didn't phase him in the least.

It was when they got to the hospital and Ron got out to get Kim a wheelchair that he stepped on a patch of black ice and went down hard on his right wrist. To her it didn't look like he hit that hard, but it was the same hand he struck the monster with and even if he had used the Mystical Monkey Power, the blow might have started the fracture.

Despite the pain in her head and ankle, she smiled when Ron walked into the treatment room. His broken wrist already in a fiber mesh cast. You couldn't even write well on the surface of those things.

"Hi." He said, reaching for her hand with his remaining good one.

She took it and gave it a good squeeze. "Hi yourself Mister Graceful."

"You know, they really should put some salt out there. Somebody could really get hurt." Ron pointed back out the Emergency Room door with his cast.

Kim brushed a few locks of his hair away from his eyes. The faint purple bruise on his chin was already starting to fade a bit, though it had only happened less than twenty four hours ago.

The nurse finished her paperwork. "Just sit tight a minute Kim. The doctor's going to take a look at you, then your teacher can take you home.

As soon as she was gone Kim touched Ron's cheek gently. Their eyes met and a lot more was said that way than could be with mere words. Kim rolled her eyes upward as if she were looking at the bandage above her left eye. Smiling sheepishly she said. "Not tonight, dear, I have a headache."

Ron laughed softly. "It's okay, KP. I think somebody is trying to tell us something anyway."

"Ya think. Somehow I think if it hadn't been the totem pole then we'd have gotten caught sneaking out. If we didn't get caught I bet the Kimmunicator would have gone off, and if that didn't happen, well, I bet we'd chicken out again." She said, letting go of his hand and crossing her arms.

Ron hopped up on the counter across from the examination table, wincing as he forgot what condition his hand was in. "Doctor Director is here."

"I figured she would be. She's probably giving Barkin down in the country for letting us go after that thing."

"Uh, no, well, yeah, Principal Director is here, but I'm talking about Doctor Betty Director, as in GJ."

"Oh." Kim slumped a little where she sat. There were probably going to be some hard questions very soon. The Battle-Suit was technically her property, legally designated a gift from Wade but it was filled with technology that, had it been developed by anyone else besides a genius twelve-year-old it would have been considered top secret. There were plenty of organizations around the world who would like to lay their hands on a suit that was capable of absorbing energy, amplifying the wearers strength and speed, generating protective force fields and made of a mutable fabric that could repair itself instantly if it were damaged.

Up until now Kim had displayed a great deal of responsibility with such devices.

The thought of keeping the loss of the suit quiet never even crossed Kim's mind. She would report it and take her lumps, even if it meant turning over a large portion of her arsenal to the international crime-fighting organization.

Before either of the Director sisters or the attending doctor could come in, Kim's mother pushed through the curtain. She was dressed in slightly sweaty scrubs and her hair was matted to her forehead.

"I just found out you two were here, Kimmie. I was in the middle of a very long procedure but they should have come and told me."

"Mom, it's just a cut and a sprained ankle, no big."

"Hmm. Let me be the judge of how big it is." She stepped up close and examined the bandage. A little bruising was showing around it and Kim winced a little at the handling of her head but it seemed to satisfy her. Almost immediately she had the x-rays out, peering at them intently. "You're lucky you didn't re-injure your ankle." She said, convinced then it was no more than a bad sprain. "I think I'm going to order an MRI for your head, though."

"Mom, I'm okay, it's just a bad cut. The doctor said I didn't have a concussion."

Anne raised an eyebrow. "Between him and me, which one is the neurosurgeon?"

Kim rolled her eyes and growled slightly.

"To think, of all the times you've had to fight that Shego, of all the scraps you've been in, you actually get hurt skiing for fun." She looked at her daughter again. "and just where was your helmet?"

"It was on the bus."

"Kim, you know what I've always said about wearing helmets. I wouldn't even let you ride your first two-wheeler without one."

"I know, Mom, but we weren't skiing when it happened."

"But the report said you fell into a ravine." She looked at her once more, a little confused.

"I did, but that's when we were being chased by a crazed totem pole monster."

"Oh, I see, well, then you're lucky you've got such a hard head." Anne Possible had heard enough over the years that such a statement didn't even phase her.

"Good Morning Doctor Possible." A middle-aged black man in a white lab coat said as he entered, picking up the charts and the x-rays.

"Good morning, Doctor Frasier." She responded, a little coolly. Ron and Kim exchanged a glance, wondering what that was all about.

"Well, Miss Possible, it looks like you're going to live, and you too, Mr. Stoppable."

Anne frowned, then noticed the cast on Ron's hand for the first time. He just smiled sheepishly at her. "Black ice…sidewalk." He explained, nodding toward the entrance.

"Somebody needs to put some salt out there before somebody splits their head wide open." Anne said to he colleague.

"I've already called maintenance twice. Well, I don't see any reason to keep the two of you any further. The discharge nurse has your prescriptions. Just keep off that foot for at least forty eight hours, Kimberly."

Deciding to forego a wheelchair, Kim leaned on Ron's shoulder as he helped her out into the waiting area. They cleared up the last of the paperwork and Kim swallowed. Somehow she thought it could only be worse if the third known Director sibling was waiting out there as well.

Sensing that, Ron's hand gripped a little tighter on her waist.

"Mom." She said softly, "Mister Barkin is going to drive us home."

Anne kissed her daughter softly on the cheek. "Okay dear. I really do want to schedule an MRI."

She shook her head, fighting to keep the momentary pain that caused hidden. "No, Mom, I'm okay. I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed. I'll be okay by morning, I promise."

"Okay." She said tentatively. "I won't be home until late in the morning. I've still got some follow up to do on my patient."

Kim smiled. She found out when they brought her in to the ER that her mother was still in the middle of a procedure that had already done twelve hours and that was almost two hours ago. Fortunately she had inherited her mother's ability to keep her focus for extended periods but not being in her famous 'mission mode' the long day was fast catching up to her.

"Are you going home, Ron?"

"I, uh…" he started.

"No. This was our weekend together and we're going to finish it together." Kim said, squeezing his shoulder with her arm.

"All right." Her mother said, exchanging a quick look with her daughter.

Kim limped into the main waiting area with Ron's help. Still waiting there were the Director sisters and Steve Barkin. The two women quickly got up once they noticed them coming out. Seeing them both together for the first time Kim could finally see the differences in the two women, Betty Director's eye patch aside. The younger woman's hair was significantly darker and slightly shorter, though it looked like she may have recently had it cut. She was also slightly slimmer since the rigorous training she endured for her job kept her constantly in tip-top shape. In the fluorescent lights of the medical center, her principal's hair seemed almost red, though it was a little darker than her own.

She had to stifle a slight giggle when she finally noticed the significance of their names. Wilma and Betty, the former with red hair, the latter with dark, nearly black hair. That made sense as she figured they were both born some time in the sixties.

Ron leaned over to her and whispered, "They look more like twins than Dr Director and her real twin Sheldon."

"Kim Possible, I'm glad to see that you are all right, more or less." She said, looking first at the small bandage on her head, then her wrapped ankle.

Wilma Director faced her sister. "Bets, we'll continue this discussion at a future date. Miss Possible, Mister Stoppable, I'm happy things were not worse than they are. I trust I will see the two of you in class Tuesday morning?" The ski trip was always scheduled to coincide with a state mandated Teacher's workday, allowing the students an extra day to unwind before classes resumed.

"We're fine." Kim said. "I'm just tired right now."

"Good." She said as she turned to leave, shooting Barkin a withering stare as she passed him. He just sat there glowering (which was nothing unusual.)

"Have a seat, Kim." Dr. Director said, motioning toward a row of chairs. She sat down on the edge of one herself, her back ramrod straight.

"Have they found anything?"

The older woman shook her head. "I have a team recovering the remains of the creature. Preliminary analysis shows it was exposed to a highly concentrated form of the mutagenic compounds that used to be in the lake. We thought it was too far above the water-table to be affected the last time we examined the property."

"Super concentrated? Is it possible something got to it when they cleaned up the grotto?" Kim asked. The last time they had been to the camp, most of the lake was completely cleansed but a small pool of concentrated muck had been missed and over time it had gotten more and more powerful as the water slowly evaporated from it.

"I don't think that is possible. We supervised the second cleanup and the main camp never came into contact with those materials. It is far more likely the exposure came when the two of you emptied the vacrometer back into the lake. We think it may be as simple as the pole being splashed with the materials while it was still hyper-compressed."

Kim and Ron looked at each other frowning. Both of them remembered clearly his repeated warning as they flew the weather machine back to Middleton the place was evil.

"KP, that's why it was coming after us." Ron said as a light bulb apparently went off in his head.

"What, Ron?" Kim asked. Dr. Director seemed intensely interested as well.

"Remember how the snow men went after the weather lady? The only reason they would have done that is because she created them. Maybe that thing, if it really had a mind, was after us because we made it."

Dr. Director nodded. "A very astute observation, Ron."

Kim smiled broadly at the compliment directed at her boyfriend. That smile faded as she remembered the main reason the head of Global Justice was there to see them at the hospital.

"What about the suit?"

The older woman shook her head. "There's no sign of it. Not in any of the demolished cabins, not on the bluff. As you know, if the suit is intact, it is very hard to trace considering the passive stealth properties Mister Load designed into it."

Kim nodded. Wade had already said as much. There was a shielded frequency transponder that he could track, but it would only be activated if somebody actually put the suit on. Considering it had apparently been taken by the Wannaweep creature, that seemed unlikely.

"Doctor Director, I'm so sorry I took it with me. I wasn't even thinking."

"Kim, the mere fact the two of you were attacked out there shows why we have to trust you to carry such equipment into the field. Personally I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt right now. My superiors may feel differently, depending on how long it takes to recover it, but for right now I think it is best the two of you go home and get some rest. We can take this up at a later time if I find it necessary."

With that she stood and shook their hands. Then she did something Kim found rather odd. She gave Ron a wink with her good eye. He shrugged, not knowing what that meant either, unless the woman had unexpectedly been discussing their love-life with Kim's mother, a thought neither of them could imagine ever taking place. Ron quickly wrapped his good arm around her waist and led her for the door, Barkin rising to take them home.

The heard Dr. Director say something very softly to Barkin as she walked by. The only thing they could make out was "Good night, Major."

As the large man started the car, Kim leaned across the back of the seat and actually gave the big man a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for coming after us back there, Mister Barkin."

"As you like to say, Possible, no big. I never leave a man…or a woman…behind." He turned and looked them up and down in the back seat before putting the car into gear. "Just what happened back there anyway."

Ron glanced at Kim, then answered his long-time teacher. "The thing came at me and I ducked under it. Next thing I know it's gone over the cliff."

"I see." Barkin said, clearly understanding there was much more to the story than that.

Twenty minutes later he was dropping them off at Kim's house.

"I don't know about this." He said. "I really should be taking Stoppable to his own house."

"No, Mr. Barkin. I already told my Mom, this was supposed to be our weekend and we're going to finish it together." She leaned a little closer to the car. "It's not like we're going to be doing anything both our parents don't approve of."

"Hmm. I still don't like it, but if you've cleared it with your mother, far be it from me to pass judgment, though I'd probably get in trouble if Colonel, I mean Principal Director ever found out about it, but I trust you two. Don't know why, I just do."

"Good night, Mister Barkin." Kim said as he closed the door so he could take the white sedan back to the school and retrieve his own car.

The house was completely empty. With Kim's father in Washington and her mother pulling an all-nighter at the medical center the twins had been taken to a babysitter, much to their chagrin (they were counting the days until they turned twelve, the age they had always been promised would signal the end to babysitting.)

It was a little tough getting up to Kim's room, but they managed. Kim went right behind her privacy screen and changed into her favorite pajamas, one of Ron's old jerseys and a pair of shorts. She sat down on the end of her bed after handing him a clean set of his own sleepwear.

Once he was changed he sat down on the end of the bed beside her.

"You know, this is kind of funny. By now we would have been sneaking out of our cabins." He said.

Kim giggled slightly, then leaned over and gave him a very gentle kiss on his lips. "Not tonight, dear, I have a headache." She repeated before kissing him again, this time a little more deeply.

"I know. I think we're better off waiting until we don't have to sneak around anyway." He said.

Kim pulled herself across the bed and started fluffing her pillows. She arched an eyebrow at Ron as he walked around the side of the bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked him, half smiling at him.

"I thought I was going to bed." He said, a little confused.

"Yeah, downstairs in the guest room."

"Aw, man." He said, dropping his shoulders.

"Ron, Honey, that last time was with Mom's permission and Daddy did not like it. This is still their house and we're going to have plenty of chance to spend time together when we do have their blessings…both their blessings." She added, since it seemed her mother was okay with the level of intimacy the two had reached. "Besides, Ronnie, I'm not kidding, my head does hurt." She looked into his eyes, seeing the understanding there.

"Come here." She said, holding her arms open for him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and she gave him a big hug, followed by an even bigger kiss. "I'll see you in the morning." She touched his chin lightly. "If Mom isn't home when we get up, I want you to make one of those big badical breakfasts of yours, then we can set up camp on the couch downstairs and watch TV until our eyes burn."

"Goodnight KP. Love you." He said.

Kim gave him another big kiss before he got up to head downstairs. "I love you too." She said softly as he started down the hatch.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	19. Part XIX

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XIX**

* * *

Ron stood in the downstairs hallway of his home, his good hand buried in his pocket. He was actually nervous about what he was about to do. More than nervous, he was actually a little bit scared. He had faced a number of things in his life that nearly scared the life out of him, but never had it been to the point he would turn around and walk away. 

Okay, there were times he ran away screaming, but that was appropriate at the time.

Raising his right hand, he prepared to knock on the door he was standing in front of.

His right hand was still in a 'lightweight' cast though in a week it would come off, to be replaced with a Velcro brace to keep it immobilized as it finished healing. A couple weeks of that and he should be cleared for missions again.

That couldn't come soon enough, in his opinion.

The long drought was coming to and end. More than coming to and end, it ended with a bang. Kim had to beg off the first two calls, one because she was a man short on her team with Ron's wrist on the mend and two because her mother put a medical grounding on her as well. Kim fussed and fumed all the way back over to the Medical Center that Sunday afternoon, but she was still complaining about headaches and that was enough for Anne. Off to the MRI machine she went.

The short ride back home was spent glaring first at her mother, then at Ron, who had joined in on the chorus of voices saying that she needed her head examined (his words.) The tests showed absolutely nothing, it was just a matter of a cut and an even worse bruise that just happened to be in a place that caused her a little pain whenever she pulled a face.

If anyone in the world was famous for her sour puss, it was Kim Possible. Ron still thought she was really cute when she was angry but he'd learned a while back not to say so.

Two days later, save for a yellowish spot on her scalp where the bruise had been, you would have never known she was ever hurt.

The missions seemed rather mundane, but it was the sheer volume of them after going so long without them. It was like the whole criminal underworld had learned of her wingman's busted wing and were taking advantage of it. That left him wondering why the same thing had not happened while he was in Japan last fall. While there were only a handful of people who knew the real reason he was there, the trip itself was no secret.

Kim was having more success than failure, the villains slipping away only on two occasions, but she was not coming home happy. After one near miss she remarked that it was like the time she went after Drakken and Motor Ed while Ron was busy hanging out with Felix. The Mullet cousins ended up getting away and Kim ended up spending the next three hours cleaning red primer off her skin and her hair. Her mission clothes ended up in the rag bin.

The night before, just as her whole family (including Ron) were about to sit down to Sunday night dinner she got the call. Three hours later she let herself back into the house. A game of Strategories was winding down at the kitchen table as she stomped up the stairs, not even bothering to report to Ron what had been going on. Then he noted her torn crop top and her filthy cargos. Following her as far as the door of her bathroom he tried calling out to her.

"Ron, I am in no mood right now." He heard her say in a near growl as the water started.

"Kim?" he called through the door.

She stuck her head out the door. He gulped slightly when he realized she was already down to a sports bra and her favorite color panties but the look on her face was enough to completely take his mind off her state of undress.

"Look, I don't need somebody to talk to, I don't need a hug and I'm not going to be cuddling or kissing anybody tonight so you might as well go home. Okay."

Ron stood there for a moment dumbfounded.

She looked at him and her frown got a little deeper. Reaching out she touched the top of his good hand. "Ron, I love you, but I just need some me time."

"KP, what happened?"

"Ron. Go home. We'll talk tomorrow, Okay?" She shut the door and apparently got into the shower.

He lingered there until the water shut off but finally turned and headed down the stairs before she came out, not wanting to face her when she was angry like this. It was a day or two early for the first signs of PMS to be setting in, but that part was an inexact science at best so he figured discretion was the better part of valor and wandered back into the Kitchen.

"Goodnight Doctors P, Jim, Tim." He waved at them slightly as he reached for the back door.

The four of them looked at him as if a lemon tree had mysteriously sprouted from his head. Since the two of them had been dating, it usually took either Anne or James to chase him out the door around eleven or midnight, not nine thirty.

"Uh oh, looks like…" Jim started.

"…somebody had a fight." Tim finished.

"No, we didn't fight. It's just, I think if I hung around tonight there might be one."

Anne cocked her head at him. "Ron, why don't you come sit down. I'm sure once she gets cleaned up she'll feel a little better."

He looked back the way he had come. "No thanks Mrs.Dr.P. Kim said she wanted some time to herself and I've got to go over my Trig notes anyway." He turned the knob and started out the door, leaving two surprised adults and two confused double-digit pre-teens in his wake.

The walk home seemed to take twice as long as it normally did. There wasn't any reason he should be feeling the way he was. Kim had been like this before, though not in the last eight and a half months. Maybe it was just another step in the evolution of their relationship but it still seemed to hurt.

"Ron, I love you, but I need some me time."

I love you…_but_.

That part of the conversation played itself over and over in his head. By the time he could see the lights of his home that phrase alone was starting to sound a whole lot like _We need to talk_.

When he got home he noted the lights were on in the front hall and his parent's room. Nobody was downstairs to ask him how his day had been, though that was far from unusual. He slowly climbed the steps to his room and shut himself inside.

Rufus climbed out of his pocket and skittered down onto his desk as he sat down and took out his math book. He took one look at Ron and wandered to the entrance of his tubes, curling up in one of the little plastic chamber where he could watch his human unnoticed.

Randomly picking a couple problems, Ron worked through them almost mechanically. Even a year ago he could not have imagined doing that and for a time he found he actually enjoyed solving them, like they were a kind of puzzle. That wasn't doing him any good tonight but at least he was relatively confident he was prepared for the inevitable pop quiz in the morning.

Was Kim just wanting to avoid a potential fight like he said he was or was the honeymoon over?

Propping his head on his desk he tried to think. All he could do was think of those words, over and over and over.

_I love you…but_.

He would have felt a great deal better if she had called him Ronnie.

Looking up he noted the date on his computer screen. February fourth. Less than two weeks until their first Valentines day, to the first time in his life he really had somebody to call his Valentine. Yet he was sitting there wondering if they were at the beginning of the end.

Things seemed a little better in the morning. Kim was sitting in the kitchen finishing her cereal when he came in and gave him a good-morning kiss just as she had since they were going together and by all appearances was in a much better mood than when he left the night before. She even helped him shift the transmission in his car, though he had gotten used to handling it with his cast.

By the time they got to school he realized she was being much quieter than normal. That sent him right back to his worries. Somehow he managed to keep from bringing up her mission and that seemed to keep her happy enough. She gave him a good hand-hug when they parted to go to their first classes.

There wasn't much chance to talk at lunch either. They sat on the floor in front of their lockers and ate their sandwiches in near silence as she poured over the queen-mother of all dreaded high school literature assignments, _War and Peace_. She finally put his heart to rest just as the warning bell went off at the end of lunch period.

Gently touching his cheek she smiled softly at him. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"

He spent the next two periods mentally kicking himself for responding only with a stupid grin. He didn't have time to berate himself during the last period since he had to spend it trying to keep her from destroying the home economics room. Thankfully this was the last week of cooking instruction.

They didn't have cheer practice that day, so they were able to head right for their car. He didn't so much as get the key into the ignition before she grabbed him in a fierce hug.

"Ron, you are so good to me." She whispered finally, still holding him tight.

"KP, are you okay?"

She sat back in her bucket seat and squeezed his forearm. "I am now. Thank you, Honey."

The engine sputtered to life but he wasn't quite ready to pull out. "Kim, what's going on? What happened last night?"

Closing her eyes slightly, she growled softly. "Two words. Wil Du."

Ron shuddered very slightly. He actually happened to like the guy personally, though it did bother him how much he irritated Kim.

"So what did he do this time?"

She shook her head. "Let's go where we can sit down and I'll tell you about it. Want me to help you drive?"

"Sure thing, KP." Somehow the same young woman who could only work a cereal bowl and a coffeemaker in a kitchen had learned to shift his car in perfect synch with him. He didn't even have to tell her when to shift, she just listened to the engine and knew when he was working the clutch.

He drove them to Bueno Nacho. It was between the lunch and dinner rushes, so the easily got their usual booth, though there had actually been times when people they didn't even know surrendered their favored spot to them the moment they came in. That embarrassed her slightly but Ron just graciously thanked them and accepted, which seemed to make everyone happy.

After hungrily downing a Naco, Kim launched into her tale about the mission. After the second time she'd refused a call from Global Justice on count of Ron's injury, they'd started assigning junior agents to assist her. That was all fine and good until last night. The only agent they could spare to help her was "that overbearing, conceited pompous ass Du."

Kim's rant rolled on for a good thirty minutes before she wound down. All of the anger she'd bottled up the night before came spilling out, to the point she pounded her fists on the table a couple times.

By the time she wound down, Ron was resting his head on his arms. "I'm sorry, Kim." He muttered.

"What? What've you got to be sorry about, Honey." She gripped his fingers where they stuck out of his cast.

Sitting up he held his busted hand up. "It's my fault they're having to pair you up like that. If I hadn't gotten hurt like an idiot we'd be the ones going."

"Ronnie, Honey, Baby." She put her hand over his good one. He raised an eyebrow at her use of all three pet names at once. "Of all the sitches we've been in the last five years, we should have been hurt far worse a dozen times over. You fell on some ice. That wasn't your fault and it cold have happened to anybody who was out on that sidewalk that night. Listen, if it helps, I'll just pass on the missions until your orthopedist clears you. How's that sound?"

"Kim, that's not fair to you. I know how much it's hurt you not to go on as many missions."

She shook her head. "It's different now. It feels, I don't know, like going to school or something. It's just not fun and somehow it's like they're just sending me out to keep my busy. There hasn't been a single mission that GJ couldn't have handled themselves."

Ron frowned. "That sounds like they're trying to put you back in the field, no matter what."

"Yes it does. I haven't talked to her since then, but Dr. Director said something that morning at the hospital, well, actually it's something her sister said. They were going to take something up later. I'm wondering if Dr. Director is actually finally trying to break through her sister's mission ban at school."

He nodded. "That sort of make sense, but I thought Principal Director had the school board on her side."

It was Kim's turn to put her head down on the table. "I just wish you could go with me. Right now it's just too much like work. I know I don't do this for fun but now, being out there without you it's like my heart's not in it." She brushed his leg with her foot. "You know what I mean?"

"I'm your heart?"

"Uh huh." A smile crept across her face as she looked up at him.

"Okay, confession time, KP. I spent most of last night and part of today thinking we might be on the road to breaking up."

"What?" her head shot up, shock evident on her face.

"I just thought, when you sent me home like that you were kind of dismissing me or something."

"Whoa, hold it right there. I was tweaked good and proper last night, but I was not dismissing you. Ron, what happens when I'm that angry?"

"We fight?"

"No, worse than that. When I'm in that state my emotions start getting confused and I lose control of myself." She paused, raising her eyebrows, hoping he got the rest.

He did. It was early in their relationship and it was only Ron's utter fright at the situation that had kept them from doing something for all the wrong reasons.

"Then too, I might have bitten your head off and that would have been almost as bad." She slumped down on her arms again. After a few moments she looked up at him, gazing at his eyes. "You know, I still think it sucks being seventeen."

"Just a few more months, KP but remember, it's not like we agreed we were just plain going to wait until then, we're going to talk about when then." He reminded her.

"That's not it. Well, that's part of it, but it's mostly that in everybody's eyes we're still just kids. I don't know if you've noticed, but I like being in control of things."

"Uh, yeah." He agreed sheepishly.

Her eyebrows sunk over her eyes. "Until I'm eighteen I'm not really in control of anything."

Ron didn't quite know how to respond to that. He didn't know how much difference six more months would make. Kim did like being in control. She pretty much led their love-life, though he often planned their weekend dates, with varying degrees of success.

They sat there in silence for a while, Kim pushing her straw up and down in her cup, making sounds that weren't too far removed from nails on chalkboard with the lid.

That got him to thinking. With Valentines just a little over a week away he had to think of something. It had to be special. Over the years he had often given her small hearts filled with chocolates and this year wouldn't be any different. Well, he was actually going to get her a really, really big heart this time, but that was just to keep with tradition. He had to do something big. Extremely big.

He dropped Kim off, claiming he needed to do some homework. She still had some ground to cover in her English assignment and he couldn't quite do his work if he was serving as her reading pillow so she readily agreed. He quickly finished up his work and went online with his computer, thankful that Wade had put a really good one together for him and had connected it to the TV cable (they had yet to convince his father to let him install a T1 line like he had at Kim's house.)

He checked his bank account, frowning when he wrote the figure on his notepad. A few more scribbled notes and figures joined that one as he searched through a few more sites. His frown deepened as he realized what he had to do next.

That put him at a door at the end of the downstairs hallway.

For the third time he raised his hand as if to knock. He never got the chance. The door opened up and he found himself face to face with his father right outside his home office.

"Ron? What is it?" Concern crossed his face. His son almost never came to that room.

"Dad, I need some of my Naco money."

Gene stoppable pursed his lips and nodded slightly. "I suppose this has to do with Valentine's day coming up?"

"Uh, yeah."

He nodded a little more. "Okay, come in and sit down."

The main reason Ron never went in there was because it was essentially a place of business. Geometry and Trigonometry he could finally understand, but what his father did with numbers was still far beyond him. Statistics, even in the simpler form they would cover in about a month, left his head spinning.

"Now Ron, you know we set up this trust because you have had problems with large sums of money before." His father began, sitting back down at his work cluttered desk.

"I know. It's just…I want to do something special for Kim."

"Son, I know how you feel about her. She's a very special girl, but this money, if we handle it right, is going to last you a very, very long time. Handling it right means not frittering it away just to impress her. I've seen how the two of you are. She'll love you just the same if all you do is take her to a nice dinner and give her a good card. Heck, I'm sure she'd love you if all you did was take her to Bueno Nacho."

Ron had to smile at that. "I know. I just don't think it would be right though if I didn't do something real nice."

"Okay, look at what you did for her birthday. You found a way to buy her those really nice earrings. I don't think I've seen her once without them on since you gave them to her. That was all done by you, without dipping into this money and I think it meant a whole lot more to her that you did it that way. Your mother and I were so proud of you when you did that."

"Yeah, but I don't think I could pull that off again. I've got a little bit in the bank, but my car needs a new clutch and the insurance is just about due."

"Well, those are things you have to think of first."

"I don't even want to dip into the money itself. Maybe if I just used the interest it's earned this month. That way I'm not losing any ground."

"Well, at least you're thinking a little clearer about how money works. Okay, here's the deal. I'll put this months interest into your bank account, but this is a one-time thing. You just can't do that constantly or you'll just end up spinning your wheels. There's not going to be withdrawals every time some special occasion rolls around. You two still have birthdays, Christmas, Hanukah, you're probably going to want to do something on your one-year anniversary."

"That's kind of the day after the Prom, so I think that's how we're celebrating that."

"Uh huh. Then it'll be the day you met and so on. Do you understand what I'm saying Ron?"

He nodded emphatically. "If I'm going to keep doing special things for KP, I'm going to have to figure out how to do it on my own."

"So you do understand. Son, this is a test as much as it is me helping you do this. There's going to come a day when you'll have to make decisions with money that could make or break you. It's a whole lot easier living knowing you've got something in the bank to back you up than if you blew it all on pretty earrings and such."

"Yes sir."

"Good." He turned his monitor so Ron couldn't see it and typed a few things into it. A few minutes later he held his hands apart, nodding toward his son. "That's it. I just transferred this months interest from your trust fund into your checking account. Make me proud, Son."

"Thanks Dad. This means a lot to me." He got up to leave so he could run upstairs and start planning in earnest.

"Oh, Ron. Do you think Kim would like to come over to dinner tomorrow night?"

He stopped, momentarily confused. "Aren't you and Mom headed to Denver tomorrow."

Gene shook his head. "No. I know the two of you have enjoyed the chance to have some privacy here and it makes me proud the two of you haven't abused that…too much, but I'm afraid that has come to an end. That's what I want…what your Mother and I want to talk to you about, you and Kim."

"What is it, Dad?"

"Tomorrow night, I promise you. It's really a family thing, but I recognize that eventually Kim is going to be our daughter, so I think it's best to include her as well."

He mounted the stairs back to his room, pondering what it was his parents were going to tell them. It was a 'family' thing. That confused him royally.

Sitting down at his computer, he checked his bank account so he could start making the arrangements for what he wanted to do. He checked the pending figure, though he knew it would take a couple days for the money to become available on his account.

He stared at the screen. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The available balance was just what he was expecting, just a tad over a thousand dollars. Just enough to fix his car and pay the insurance, leaving some left over for date nights and assorted snackage.

The pending balance read over fourteen thousand dollars. That was the interest for a month?

How much was actually in the trust fund?

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	20. Part XX

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XX**

* * *

The hotel room was posh beyond most people's imaginations. It was the penthouse of the most exclusive resort hotel in all of Mexico. Even the 'bedroom' was huge and well appointed, having it's own sitting room a few steps down from the massive bed. Much of the room was decorated in real gold leaf and the only piece of furniture not made of fine glove leather was the bed itself.

The young man sitting at the desk was a prime example of fine European stock. He was extremely muscular, tall and robustly tanned. Over the last year he had grown his hair out slightly but it would still qualify as following the current fashion. He was dressed in his trademark yellow/gold shirt and black pants, though he had spent much of his time since arriving in a swimsuit, strutting around the pool.

He put his large hands on a small leather portfolio sitting on the gilded desk. Carefully opening it, he laid out the various newspaper clipping that were held within. Most of the clippings were pictures, taken from various international tabloids and all of those pictures had one thing in common…

…a red haired American girl.

Most of the shots were of her in a black top and olive cargo pants, though a couple showed her in other outfits, such as one showing her sunbathing in a very skimpy bikini, while another had her in white shorts and a t-shirt, holding hands with someone in a forest somewhere.

He picked one of the slightly faded pictures, studying it. The girl was wearing a blue dress and she was kissing a blonde haired young man in a similarly colored tuxedo. He picked up another one where she was sitting on a park bench somewhere, also kissing him. Putting the second picture back down he sighed.

"Ron Stoppable, you are a very lucky man." He commented in lightly accented English.

* * *

Kim sat down at her dresser wearing a bath robe and a towel around her hair. She pursed her lips, considering which color lipstick to put on. Despite her outer calm, she was excited to learn exactly what Ron's parents had been up to for so long on Tuesdays. A small part of her was disappointed their weekday 'love nest' would no longer be available, but like Ron said, they were only a few short months away from turning eighteen and if they wished they could secure some place private almost any time they wished.

That is, if some crazed bad guy didn't find a way to interrupt them every time they tried.

"Kim, you up there?" Monique called as she mounted the steps to her loft.

"Yeah." She turned her attention back to the mirror and her makeup.

Her friend took one look at her, sitting there making herself pretty. "This is Tuesday, isn't it?"

"Uh huh." Kim started with a touch of eye-liner.

Monique straddled the back of the desk chair. "So what's with the date prep? I figured you'd have gone straight to Ron's to commence the lip-smacking."

"Oh, I'm going to Ron's." She pulled the towel off her head and patted the last of the moisture out of it before starting with her brush.

"What is this, some weird kind of make out thing? Dress up like it's a date?" She narrowed her gaze slightly. "You're not thinking of calling another monster are you?"

"Do what?" Kim turned around to face her friend, confusion crossing her features.

"You know, get all ready, then some monster comes out of the woodwork."

"Oh lord, Monique, you are obsessed. No, I'm having dinner with Ron and his parents tonight."

"They're home? Like I asked, this is Tuesday isn't it?"

Kim pulled her hair into a high ponytail. It was finally long enough it wasn't popping free over her eyes. She considered the look a moment, then pulled the scrunchie off and started brushing it again, this time with a softer bristled brush to straighten it just a bit more and make it nice and silky. "They didn't go last week, or the week before. Ron and I just came here to do our studying together."

"I'm sure that was fun, with your brothers teasing you every time the two of you kissed."

Kim smiled as she pulled her hair back again, this time putting a stronger band on it. "Jim and Tim have mellowed on Ron a lot, plus I think they're just starting to notice girls themselves." She leaned toward Monique and whispered conspiratorially. "I can't wait for the day one of them brings a girlfriend home."

"Turnabout is fair play." Monique agreed, nodding.

Kim got up and started sifting through her closet, eventually coming up with her longer navy dress. She considered her slightly shorter cream colored dress, but decided that one was a little too summery, considering another light snow had fallen the night before and a couple flurries were still flying around outside.

"Did Ron seem a little weird to you today?" Kim asked, going behind her privacy screen to put on her dress.

"Weirder than usual?"

Kim looked around her screen and glared at her friend.

Monique laughed softly. "No, though the only time I really saw him he was busy reading some printouts he got out of your computer."

Kim sat down on the bed and slipped on a pair of leather boots with modest heels, zipping them up. "I know this is going to sound a little selfish but I'm actually hoping he's planning something for Valentines, though I'm willing to bet he's just going to give me chocolates."

"Dude-boy trying to fatten you up or something?"

"No, he's always given me chocolates for Valentines, ever since we were little. No, I'm hoping it's something more, even if it's one of his special dates. Chocolates would be, I dunno, kind of a 'just a friend' thing."

"Kim, you've got to be honest with yourself. Ron's not too good in the finances department and doesn't his car need work?"

"Yeah. He dropped it off at the garage today. It just needs a new clutch but that's going to tear a chunk out of what he's saved out of his allowance. A girl can dream, can't she?"

"Maybe he's going to pull a rabbit our of his hat like he did for your birthday."

Kim opened the larger jewelry box on her dresser. "Thanks for reminding me." She put on her earrings and turned her head to look at them. The emeralds didn't really go with the navy dress, but she had an automatic fashion pass since they matched her eyes. She didn't care anyway. They were the first really nice gift Ron had given her and she was going to wear them until the posts wore out and even then she'd take them to a jeweler to be repaired. Just about the only time she didn't wear them was school and on missions.

There was another piece of jewelry she was going to wear tonight. Kim had never been one to wear rings very much, mainly since she often wore gloves, but this one was special. It had a small ruby set into the carved base. She wished it was an emerald, but it was tradition for one of these to have her birthstone and since she was born in July and not May she opted for the proper gem.

"Is that your class ring?" Monique asked, coming over to her to get a better look.

Kim held out her hand, displaying the slightly chunky ring. She opted for the larger style instead of the tiny, more feminine type, mainly so she could wear the special copy Wade was planning to make for her, replacing the one she lost escaping one of Drakken's traps.

Monique pulled Kim's heart necklace out of the box and helped her put it on. "So when is Ron going to let you wear his?"

Kim held up her hand to the small gold locket hanging from its chain. "I'm not sure. He wanted to wear his 'badge of Seniorness' for a little while. Maybe Valentines, maybe Prom, I don't know."

"It's a good thing he got you a necklace to wear it on. I bet you could wear it as a bracelet."

"His hands aren't _that_ big." Kim shot her a half glare.

"Big enough." Monique smiled broadly, sitting down on the edge of the bed, earning her the other half of that glare.

"I swear, Mon, you are obsessed with my man."

She shook her head, pulling a bit of her hair loose from behind her ear into a curly sideburn. "Only for gossip purposes, girlfriend, since I've got my own man."

"So how are you and Felix doing?"

Laying back on the bed, Monique sighed. "I can't complain, though it's going to be hell come fall, with me going to Duke and him up at M.I.T. Hey, what's the word on Ron's school deal? You know if the two of you will be able to stay together next fall?"

"Nothing yet. He's doing his part with the grades, but he won't be taking the SATs again until March."

"He stressing yet?"

"Not so much. It's still kind of out of sight, out of mind for him. So how are you two going to manage? Massachusetts is a long way from North Carolina."

Monique sat back up. "I don't know, Kim. I've never had a long-distance romance. I love him and I know he loves me but I just don't know."

"Can you keep a secret?" Kim asked, sitting on the edge of her chair.

Monique put her hand over heart. "Always, girl."

Kim leaned closer to her. "If Ron doesn't get into a school near me, I'm going to ask him to go ahead and marry me. That way, even if we're apart we'll still be together."

Her friend looked a little skeptical. "That's either really romantic sounding or the craziest thing I've ever heard. Kim, if the two of you get married this summer and he ends up going somewhere far away, can you imagine what that's going to put you through?"

Kim rolled her eyes upwards. "I'll probably make the local Edy's distributor very happy and gain fifty pounds in the process." She giggled. "Now you've gone and done it, I want ice cream."

"Sounds like you have an excuse to go out with Ron after dinner then."

Kim smiled broadly. "I like the way you think sometimes…oh, and since his car's in the shop, maybe we can borrow the Pontiac."

"There you go. So, if Ron's in planning mode like you think, are you going to try and get it out of him?"

"Well, that would spoil the surprise." She mused.

"Since when have you been able to stand not knowing. You could use the PDP."

"Monique, the Puppy Dog Pout is a powerful weapon, it is not to be used lightly." She said with mock gravity. "Beside, he's somehow building up an immunity, I don't want to waste it."

"No, say it isn't so."

Kim nodded. "If Daddy ever found out about it, he'd grill him non-stop for the secret and then Mom and me both would be powerless."

Monique got up and swung her hips slightly. "There are other powers, Kim, powers that are not to be trifled with." That set both girls to giggling.

* * *

Ron pulled up his checking account again, staring at the number. He was already dressed for dinner, wearing a royal blue dress shirt and a striped tie. In a few minutes he would head on down to Kim's house to pick her up. It was his idea they all dress nice for dinner since it really didn't happen that often. The last time his parents had invited her was Passover, before the two of them were even together. The big revelation he was expecting aside, his parents inviting her over was a huge deal. In fact, the last time anyone had been invited was Rabbi Katz and his wife and Ron had been out with Kim that night anyway.

The huge deposit was still sitting in the pending column. He called the bank earlier between classes and they told him it would take three business days for the amount to clear. Even so, he decided to go ahead and put his car in the shop. The clutch wasn't slipping badly yet, but other people he'd talked to said that particular car was bad about wearing them out, no matter how ginger he was with it. He already had the money in place to get it fixed and with the other on its way, he wasn't worried about the bill.

He almost went back to his father the night before to ask him whether he'd made a mistake or if he really did have enough in the fund to generate that much interest. Ron was out of his chair and headed for the door when he realized this might be part of the test his father was talking about.

What was he supposed to do? He figured it would be a few hundred dollars, maybe a thousand at the most. If he wanted to do what he was planning, that's how much it would take and if it wasn't enough, he'd have to rethink everything. Instead, he had enough money now to not only carry out the plans, but to even go buy a much better car. One of the neighbors had a daughter who just bought her own sports car and they wanted to sell her old SUV for two grand. Old it may have been, but it was a '92 model, where his car was an '80 and it was also much more practical.

Logic told him it was a good idea. Kim convinced him to buy the old Chevette simply because it was all he could afford. There were far better cars on that lot and they certainly had acquired others since he made his purchase. He needed a good, dependable car and that certainly sounded like a wise use for the money.

That would even leave enough for all the other special occasions his father was talking about as well.

Somehow, though, that didn't seem to sit right with him. If he did all those things the money would be gone or worse, he'd end up owing more money than he had in the first place. He learned the hard way after losing the first royalties money that all the nice things he bought needed upkeep and almost all of it involved property taxes as well. Every single thing he bought ended up sold to pay those bills and that was at pennies on the dollar.

Ron even wondered from time to time if Bonnie would perhaps give back the ruby belt buckle he bought her.

Yeah, right.

Thinking along those lines, he pulled up the website for his insurance and entered the information for the neighbor's truck. The figure it came back with was easily three times what he paid, and that wasn't even taking into consideration the fact he was a minor.

Ron was starting to get the idea. Without any real income to speak of except the allowance his father regularly transferred into his account, he'd be constantly drawing on that money just to legally keep the Ford on the road.

Then too Kim would ride him mercilessly about how SUVs were such gas hogs. Considering how gas spiked after a hurricane hit New Orleans, he knew it would also cost a great deal more actually driving the thing. It was also a four-wheel-drive and if anything went wrong with that transmission it would cost considerably more to fix than the three hundred he was plunking down for the new clutch.

Despite all the urges he had to spend it, he was starting to think his best course of action would be to treat Kim to his original plan and either put the rest into a savings account or give it back to his father so there would be no temptation at all.

Well, maybe not quite all of it. He did need some new clothes, especially pants since his growth spurt had been mostly in his legs.

Grinning slightly, he made a decision. He shut the computer off and grabbed his mother's keys from his desk. It was time to go pick up Kim and he was feeling really good about himself.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	21. Part XXI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXI**

* * *

It was just after sundown when Ron pulled into the driveway, noting the only car in the drive was Monique's hatchback. The garage door was open, so it was clear both of Kim's parents were away. He chuckled slightly when he realized how ironic it would be if her parents were out for the evening when the two of them had other obligations and couldn't stay in and enjoy the privacy. Then again Kim was always a little more reserved in her own home than she was in his. Here it was almost always cuddling and snuggling while in his house it was mostly making out when they didn't have to spend a lot of time studying.

It didn't matter to him, it was all time spent alone with Kim.

Assuming that in fact her parents weren't home, he let himself in. Ever since they started dating, if he was just coming over to hang out he would come right in as usual, but if they were going out he would play the proper gentleman and ring the doorbell. It was one of those traits that kept endearing him to her father. It also gave them a chance to share what plans they had, just in case.

Monique was just coming down the main staircase as he shut the door. She stopped and looked at him from head to toe, then stepped around him, finally coming to a stop, nodding as if she approved. "Not bad. Not exactly what I'd suggest for a hot date, but perfect for dinner with the 'rents."

"Thanks. That top looks really nice, Monique."

She raised and eyebrow, though she started grinning as well. "If you add 'on your grandmother' I'm going to go Steel-Toe on you."

"Would I say something like that?" He added a mock pained expression to the rhetorical question.

Monique walked around back of him again. "Very nice." She cooed.

"Hey!" He twisted sideways, trying to get the object of her compliment out of view. If Monique was talking a little dirty with him, he wondered exactly what she had been talking to Kim about.

"Whatever Kim has you doing in those workouts of hers, it's sure working on you."

"Monique, come on. It's bad enough I have my Mom talking to Kim about my butt."

"Just sayin', Ron." She lightly drew her fingers across the middle of his back.

"Take your hands off my boyfriend." Kim laughed as she walked down the stairs.

"Make me." Monique giggled as she wrapped both arms around Ron from behind. She let go suddenly and backed up. "Dayum! When did you get muscles?"

"Cut it out, Mon." Kim reached out and took Ron's hand. "You're making him turn redder than my hair."

"Wow, KP, you look fantastic." He leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

She turned aside and let him kiss her on the cheek. "Lipstick." She warned.

"I'll see you two tomorrow." Monique said as she scooped up her purse.

Ron turned around and opened the door for her. "Why thank you." She trilled as she left.

"You ready?" He asked. "Cause I think Monique's going to be waiting on us since I've got her blocked in the driveway."

"Let's not keep her waiting." Kim grinned softly as he held the door for her as well. Her grin got even larger when he held he car door for her, something he'd been slipping on of late.

"I mean it, Kim, you're looking extra badical tonight." He said as they pulled out into the street in the big Pontiac

She blushed ever so slightly. "Ron, this is the same dress I wore to church Sunday."

"I know, it's just the boots, your hair, the fixins." He reached out and touched the little gold heart at her neck. Kim tried to touch his hand, but it was still encased in a cast. Her smile dipped just slightly as she was reminded he wouldn't be able to go on missions with her for a couple more weeks at least.

Kim ran her hands over the fake velvet upholstery on the bench seat. "I miss riding in this car. I know bucket seats are more comfortable for a long ride, but it wasn't the long trips I liked best." To prove her point, she scooted as close to him as the seatbelt would allow and wrapped her arms around his right one, something she absolutely could not do in his car.

They hadn't gone a block when Ron pulled over to the curb.

"Ron, come on, it's a little early for parking and I don't want to mess up my makeup."

"Sorry, KP. That's not what I had in mind. You know, there's a reason I bought you that particular necklace."

"Oh?" She smiled sweetly, realizing exactly what he was talking about.

He gently picked up the heart and unfolded the clasp behind the locket. Then he held his right hand up and pulled his ring off with his left, careful not to pull to hard on his mending wrist. Delicately he hooked it into the special clasp.

"Ronnie, I thought you wanted to wear this for a while before you gave it to me." She blushed again, holding the ring and heart up so she could see it in the dying light of the early evening. Just as Monique had said earlier, his ring was far too large for her to consider wearing it on any of her fingers. It was gold, just like hers, but the stone in it was pale green, much like her emeralds, only lighter.

Ron shrugged. "The more I thought about it, the more I wanted you to wear it instead. Besides, it wasn't all that comfortable with this cast on." He held up his encased right hand, wriggling his fingers.

Kim put her hand behind his neck, rubbing it slightly, then drew him close like she was going to kiss him. Instead she rubbed the tip of her nose on his, still not wanting to get him covered in red lipstick.

"Well, I guess it's official, we're going steady." She laughed as he pulled back out into the road. They both knew it had been official when they kissed each other those many months ago.

"Going steady, huh? So, should I take you to the sock hop or the soda parlor?"

"Did you ever figure out exactly what those were?" Kim laughed.

"Sock hop I haven't got a clue, but I think a soda parlor was out parent's equivalent of Bueno Nacho."

Kim gestured at the windshield. "Well, I think we're going to be late for dinner no matter whether we find those things or not if you don't get going."

"I'm going, I'm going. Oy" Ron said in a mock Yiddish accent. Kim giggled slightly, considering she was the one who actually used that word and Ron didn't actually know any more Yiddish than she did.

"Ron, I'm nervous. What if your parents tell you they are moving away or something. They could very easily have been going to Denver to hunt for a home."

He dropped his shoulders just slightly. "If that's the case I really, really hope your parents would let me move into the guest room, not just to stay here with you, but so I can finish school at Middleton."

"I'm sure Mom and Dad would approve, Honey." She brushed a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Yeah, but what about my Mom and Dad? Even when you finally move out it's going to be a while before your brothers do. Once I'm gone, that's it for my folks. They wouldn't even get the full eighteen years that way."

"I know, Ronnie. You'll just have to do what you think is right."

He gave her a half smile. "I guess we're making a lot of plans for something we don't even know about, aren't we."

"Doesn't hurt. Maybe it'll just be something nice, like your trust fund hitting a hundred thousand or something."

Rons got the most peculiar expression on his face for half a moment, but recovered quickly before Kim could notice it.

* * *

Jean Stoppable had the dining room table set, which was extremely unusual especially considering the large, eight seat table was only set for four. The last time it had even been used was the last time Kim had been invited for dinner which was at Passover the year before and then they had eleven people crammed around the table.

She was waiting for Kim in the dining room as Ron went to hang up her jacket. "I thought Ronnie was bringing Kim over, who is this beautiful woman he has with him?" She reached for the younger woman and gave her a warm hug.

Kim chuckled softly. "You look great tonight yourself Mrs…" She checked herself as Ron's mother cocked her head at her. "…Jean." Her amusement came from her wearing an almost identical dress, though a couple shades lighter.

"Go ahead and have a seat, Kim. Gene will be down in a moment. I've got pot-roast…oh, don't you worry, it's not just any pot roast, it's been cooking all day and I used lots of savory vegetables and juices."

"I'm looking forward to it." Kim stood behind one of the chairs. Ron had to learn his cooking skills somewhere and even though her mother's abilities had completely missed her it was likely she was at least as good as her boy. The aroma wafting in from the kitchen was heavenly.

"Where's Rufus?" Kim asked Ron as he came back into the room.

"He's around somewhere. He stayed here while I went to pick you up since I was coming right back."

"Hey yo!" Rufus squeaked as he appeared at the table. There was a small plate set for him with a selection of cheeses and a few chunks of his "Mole Rat Chow," which they normally just referred to as his 'crunchies.' Ron was trying to get him to eat more of those instead of all the human garbage he normally consumed. Rufus was still perfectly healthy, seemingly in his prime, but he was over five years old and that was the average life-span for a mole rat 'in captivity.'

Needless to say, he made short work of his 'dinner' long before anyone else sat down at the table and started eyeing he bread basket and their salads. Kim suspected his monstrous appetite and consumption of mass quantities of foods that would kill a human by twenty might have something to do with his amazing vitality.

Ron held the seat first for his mother, then for Kim, who had waited patiently behind her seat even though her hostess had already invited her to sit. The Stoppables had never stood much on tradition or form, but it all seemed natural and right tonight considering everyone had dressed nicely.

Once they were all seated, Kim noticed everyone had wine glasses. That was interesting, considering everyone had been served that awful Concord grape wine at Passover. She didn't have much experience with wine in general but that stuff was a textbook definition of gorchy.

This time there was a bottle of what appeared to be a much higher quality wine on the table. Gene pulled the cork and served a small amount to both of the teens and himself. Jean simply opened a can of grape pop and poured it into her glass.

Ron's father bowed his head and everyone joined hands around the table. He said the blessing first in Hebrew, then repeated it in English for Kim's benefit. "God, bless this house and bless this table. Bless this family…all of it." He gave Kim's hand a slight squeeze. "Amen" they all said together.

Before Jean started serving the roast, Gene held up his glass. "Two great things have happened to me in my life. The first was when I met Jean. Well, three things since she amazing actually agreed to marry me. The second was the greatest joy of our life together, and that is my son" He held the glass up toward Ron. "To Ron." He said.

They all clinked their glasses together. Kim took a tiny sip of the dark red liquid. She certainly didn't know what made a wine good, but it certainly tasted better than the last time she had some. This tasted more like what she had during communion at church. It was very slightly sweet, though she still didn't understand what the fuss was. Her notion of an 'adult drink' was hot tea or a cup of black coffee. Considering the face Ron made when he sipped his, he apparently was of a like mind.

Gene held his glass up again. "Ron has had the good fortune to have something wonderful happen in his life as well. At his age, most people are fortunate to meet somebody they really care for but from what I have seen, he has found something much greater than that. Kim, you are literally the best thing that has happened to our son. I hope you would do me the honor of letting us think of you like a daughter."

"Of course, Mister Stoppable." She said quietly, holding her glass.

"Gene, Kim. I know it's a little confusing here in this house, but please, call me Gene…for now." He held his glass a little higher. "To Kim and true love."

This time he polished off his glass. Kim was blushing slightly as she tentatively followed suit. The last time she had alcohol was far from a pleasant experience, but that time she wasn't even aware she was drinking it and this was a very small amount anyway. Thankfully there was also a glass of iced tea and it was likely this was all they were going to have.

She looked across the table at Ron, wondering if this was some sort of ceremony formally accepting her into the family. That thought made her both happy and just a little scared. Even though most people liked to tell them they were 'old marrieds' they were still just seventeen. Her plan to marry Ron if he couldn't go to school with her was really nothing more than a notion in her head, not something she had seriously thought about going through with, yet it seemed both families had already made the assumption the two of them were destined to walk down the aisle, sooner than later.

"Well now, I'm starving and this all smells wonderful." Gene finally announced. "Let's eat."

Calling the beef dish she was served pot roast was really an insult to it. It was likely one of the best things she had ever eaten. It was so tender you could eat it with just a fork and the juicy flavors just about exploded in her mouth. Her mother made a good pot-roast, but it was much more traditional, a 'hearty' type of meal where this was something she would have considered proper fare for a gourmet restaurant.

"This is wonderful Mrs…I mean Jean."

Jean smiled at her. "Don't compliment me, I just ran the oven." She nodded toward her son, confirming what Kim already suspected. "He put this together before school this morning. If I'd have done this by myself, you'd probably need a chainsaw to cut it."

"Mom, don't sell yourself short. I like your pot roast." Ron said between bites. Rufus was sitting beside his plate, easily keeping pace with his human. Kim had long ago gotten used to the two of them racing to eat so the other wouldn't get everything.

"I see you've acquired some new jewelry." Gene remarked, pointing his fork toward Kim.

She held up her right hand so they could see her class ring. "I know the ruby doesn't go with the rest of my jewelry, but it's tradition."

"Actually I meant the other one." He pointed at the large ring hanging from her necklace.

"It's official." Jean broke in. "They're going steady."

Kim laughed softly since that's precisely what she had said earlier.

"So how soon can we expect grandkids." Ron's father asked, digging back into his beef.

Kim turned beet red and shrunk down in her seat a little. "I, uh…maybe by our mid-twenties."

"Don't be in too big a hurry, Kim." Jean patted her hand lightly.

Gene put his fork down. "But don't wait too long. We were married eight years before Ron came along. We were getting to the point we thought we were going to grow old without children."

"Gene, dear, I was only thirty-one when Ron was born."

Ron's father sighed heavily and pushed back from the table a little. "Kim, Ron, I'm sure the both of you know we have been driving to Denver regularly on Tuesdays for a while now."

"Yes sir." Kim put her own utensils down, intent on what he had to say.

"Jean and I both come from large families. I've got four brothers and two sisters and she's got a brother and two sisters of her own. I think you saw some of them at Reuben's wedding last year."

Kim nodded as he went on.

"When we got married, we weren't exactly planning to follow that tradition. It was the early eighties and we were going to be a modern couple and have just two kids after a couple years, even though my mother was pestering me from the day we said our vows.

"Then it took us a lot longer than we expected to have Ron and once he was two years old, we started trying again…yet here we are, fifteen years later and there are only three Stoppables sitting at this table."

Kim glanced again at Jean's now-empty wine glass and the can of pop sitting beside it. Ron was looking at the same thing, his brown eyes getting huge.

"Are you…Dad, is Mom?"

Gene went on, ignoring Ron for the moment. "Last year, we thought it might have finally happened, but we were wrong then a friend of mine told me about a doctor in Denver who worked wonders. That's what we've been doing all this time. We were going to see a specialist and, I'm happy to say, it worked."

Ron turned to his mother. "Mom?"

She put her hand on his. "Yes, dear. In seven and a half months you're going to have a little sister."

Kim could have sworn she heard the thud as Ron's jaw hit the table. Then again, it could have been hers.

"We were to the point we would just have to settle on waiting until the two of you got married and stared having kids." Jean said. She leaned closer to Kim. "I hope your baby-sitting skills are still up to snuff."

"A sis…sis…buh…er." Ron blubbered, his mouth still hanging open.

"That's wonderful." Kim finally said as she started getting her mind around the concept of Ron actually having a sister. A little relief that they weren't going to be quickly looking for her to carry on the family name settling in. There was no doubt in her mind she would one day have children with Ron, but that was something in the far future, probably a decade away as her mother had said.

Getting up, she went to Jean and gave her a big hug. "You better believe I'm going to want to baby-sit for you."

"That's great. It'll be good practice for you." She said, making Kim blush again.

Things were much quieter at the table as they finished their meal, but the tension they had been feeling up to that point vanished.

Jean started gathering the plates and Kim got up to help her, following her into the kitchen. "Is it too soon for you to have thought of a name?"

Ron's mother took the stack of plates from the younger woman. "A little. Maybe something like Catherine Jean, after both our mothers."

"Oh, I didn't know you were named after your mother."

"I'm not. I'm named after my grandmother. It just happens to be the same name." She put the dishes in the sink and turned around. "Kim, I need to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"Gene and I are not young. He's five years older than me and he's not the healthiest person in the world. I know you're still very young, but if something were to happen, God forbid, to us…"

"You want Ron and I to take care of her?"

Jean nodded. "I know I've got a big family and there wouldn't be any question there would be somebody around to raise her, but of anyone I've ever met, I think I trust you the most."

"I'll do anything I can, but let's not talk like that now."

"Of course." She leaned over toward Kim, smiling slightly. "It's just that I don't want them raising another Shawn, if you know what I mean."

Kim shuddered slightly, remembering feeling he was the one child on Earth she would actually call evil. She knew in the back of her mind she might one day have to actually face him, perhaps with his giant mechanical iguana monster.

Back in the dining room, Ron finally worked up the courage to speak to his father again. "Dad, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"You looked at your bank balance, didn't you."

"Yes sir."

Gene nodded. "Going to treat Kim to a…bon-diggity Valentines?"

"Well, yes, but that's what I was planning to do anyway." He stopped and swallowed. "I was thinking, though. Much as I'd like to get some things I think I need…I think it's best I just keep what I need for Kim and maybe just a little more for safety's sake…and put the rest back in the fund."

The older man looked at his son for a few moments. "Okay. Write me a check for what you want to put back and I'll take care of it."

"Am I doing the right thing, Dad?"

"Son, that's something you are going to have to figure out for yourself. When I put that money back, it's going to stay there. If you have some things you need money for later, then you're going to have to find another way. I'm not pulling money out and putting it back in every time something comes up. Do you still want to put the money back?"

Ron thought about it for a few minutes, glancing toward the kitchen where the two women were softly talking. "Yes. If I keep it, even if I put it in a savings account I'm just going to keep finding ways to spend it, even if it's just a few dollars here and a few dollars there. I'm afraid I'm going to look at my account one day and suddenly I'm right back where I am today. I think I've still got a long way to go to learn to handle it."

"Then that's what we'll do. Give me that check in the morning. Oh, by the way, considering where the fund has gotten, I think a slight up-tick in your allowance is warranted."

"Dad, how much is actually in the fund?"

"Heh. You're still remembering that first check you got, aren't you? It's nothing like that, that's for certain. That Drakken made a really big mess of the company's finances and even though they really did owe you a lot more, if I'd pressed the matter in court there's the chance they would have gone belly up and then there wouldn't be anything coming in."

"You're not exactly telling me how much." Ron's face got a little more serious.

"Okay. Cash in the bank, so to speak, is right around four hundred thousand. With other investments in your portfolio, it's estimated you're worth about one and a half million dollars."

For the second time that evening Ron's jaw hit the table.

"I'm a muh, muh, muh…"

"Millionaire? Not exactly. Not until you turn twenty five."

"Twenty five? How am I going to pay for college? How am I going to marry Kim?"

Gene put his hand on his son's shoulder. "College is taken care of. That's all part of the trust. As for Kim, you don't need that kind of money to have a good life with her. I do have some good news, though."

"Dad, please don't tell me you saved money on your car insurance."

That got a hearty laugh. "No. The good news is, if you marry Kim before you turn twenty five and we think you've become responsible with the money, it will be turned over to you. Now, that doesn't mean go running out and elope the moment you turn eighteen. You still won't get it until we're satisfied, and then not until you turn twenty one."

Ron sat back in his seat, processing what his father had just told him. Twenty five, more than seven and a half years. Sooner if he got married before then. Until then, since he was giving the lion's share of the money back, he was still a relatively broke, unemployed high-school student.

The ladies came back in from the kitchen. Jean put her hands on her son's shoulders. "Somebody just told me that she really would like some ice cream and unfortunately, I'm all out."

"I think my boy can handle that, don't you son?"

"Uh, sure, Dad." He looked at Kim, who was positively beaming. It struck him all over again how beautiful she was and that she loved him even if he wasn't a potential millionaire.

"Want to take the Camry?" Gene asked, reaching into his pocket for his keys.

Ron's eyes met Kim's. "No, I think we'll take the Pontiac." He said, getting up to get Kim's coat.

"I thought as much." He shoved the keys back in his pocket, smiling at the immense pride he was feeling in his son at that moment.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	22. Part XXII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXII**

* * *

The flurries had turned into honest snow, though it wasn't threatening to become a blizzard. This was the kind of weather long-time Middletoners were used to so they didn't pay it any more mind than rain. The day had warm early on and the roads were staying mostly clear, though a little wet.

Still, the girl at the ice cream shop was a little surprised when one of her few customers that night actually ordered ice cream instead of cappuccino or regular coffee. Ron thought about that a moment and ordered a large black coffee as well.

Kim held onto both cups of cream as Ron drove out to the bluff on Logging Camp Road, the coffee sitting in the cup holder. There was only one other car there that night considering the weather so he was able to pull up to their favorite secluded spot. Not that the privacy mattered to most of the couples who took advantage of the usually romantic view (tonight all they could see were faint lights below them) there being an unspoken rule that this was the 'acceptable' place to go parking.

They had been up there only once since Ron got his little car. Their relationship had evolved to the point where they liked to 'go places and do things' rather than spend the evening just necking in the car and even though Kim had convinced him to buy it doing exactly that, it was proving to be a very uncomfortable place for romance. It was just too small.

The Pontiac, on the other hand, with it's wide bench seats front and back, seemed custom made for that purpose.

Kim was out of her seatbelt by the time he set the parking brake. They spent a few minutes kissing, then she just snuggled up against him and took the two cups of ice cream off the dash.

"I swear, KP, we're going to freeze to death one of these days on our dates and we're sitting out here eating ice cream."

"Ron, don't be a baby. It's only barely cold enough to snow and it's not coming down that hard. We'll be lucky to get two inches by morning." She nestled in a little closer to him as she polished off the rest of hers. "Maybe since we don't get the house on Tuesdays now, you can start borrowing this car again."

Ron ripped his cup open so he could lick the last of it out of the bottom. "I'm still a little weirded out that my Mom is pregnant. I mean, by the time she's born I'm going to be almost old enough to be her father. What's up with that?"

"You should be happy for her. If you go away to school, your parents aren't going to end up with an empty nest. Plus that will take the pressure off of us when it comes time for kids."

He put his hands on her shoulders and started kneading. "Mmmm. I like" she purred. "So what were you and your Dad talking about while we were in the kitchen?"

"Guy stuff. What were you and Mom talking about?"

Kim craned her neck and looked up at him. She thought for a moment of saying 'Girl stuff' but discarded the idea. "Your Mom effectively wants us to be Catherine Jean's god-parents."

"Catherine Jean? She's a month and a half pregnant and they've already picked out a name?"

"Baby, if I'd just spent the last fifteen years trying to get pregnant, I think I would have thought of a few names myself." She leaned forward a little so he could work lower on her back. Sitting up, Kim started unbuttoning her jacket. "Here, help me out of this."

"Don't get chilly." Ron warned. "You know how you hate being cold."

"Don't think I'm going to be cold." Instead of leaning back toward him so he could rub her shoulders again she took his face in her hands and started kissing him. She sat back and looked into his eyes, brushing his hair back slightly. "Somebody ferociously needs a haircut."

"Then I'm going to the barber. No foo-foo haircuts for me again, thank you."

Twirling a strand of his hair in her fingers, she kissed him again. "Wouldn't dream of it. I'm too much in love with this Ron to chance creating another." Nuzzling him, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.

They sat that way for a little while, just enjoying being with each other. Finally Kim whispered to him. "You know, what you said a little bit ago about being old enough to be a father? Remember what we almost did in Florida?"

"Or at Wannaweep?"

Kim tightened her arms slightly. "That doesn't count. In Florida we were just a heartbeat away. Remember how Mom figured out what we were up to?"

"Yeah."

"Once I convinced her we'd backed off, she still reminded me about my meds…I didn't say anything, but I'd missed taking them the morning before."

Ron sat for a few moments mulling that over in his head. "Oh." Was his only response.

"We could have been picking out names ourselves. I love you, Ronnie, but I'm so not ready for that."

"I'm not either, though I have a feeling we're going to be taking care of Mom's baby a lot. I'm a little scared, thinking about Mom's age and all. Dad too. Did you know he's taking heart pills?"

"No, I didn't, but that doesn't surprise me. Your mother mentioned his health wasn't the greatest." She let go of him and sat up. "That means you need to be careful too, if it's in your family."

Ron leaned back on the headrest. Barkin stopped him from eating a Chimirito once, saying it would "Shave years off your life," then dragged him to a rugby match that had pummeled him within an inch of it.

"Kim, I was just thinking about something. You and Bonnie seemed to reach some kind of understanding when the two of you got stuck together. What happened to that?"

She just grunted. "That lasted all of a week, then she was right back to being a queen you-know-what."

"Yeah, but, you know, now you kind of know what she's really like. You think maybe things would be better if the two of you were friends."

Kim sat up and crossed her arms. "Ron, it's a two-way street. I can only take so much of her insults, not just a you and me, but everyone around her. She's just so…grrrrrrrr."

Ron put his good hand on her knee. "It is a two-way street, Kim. I just think if more people treated her nice, she'd come along, eventually."

"Well I tried that and like I said, it lasted about a week. I'm tired of trying with her. A few more months and we'll be rid of her, probably for good."

"But what if…"

"Ron, just drop her, okay. The more you talk about her the angrier I'm getting and this is supposed to be us time, not 'her' time, okay?"

"All right. I'm just saying."

"You've said it. Now drop it." Kim sat back in her seat, apart from him.

Ron sat in his seat behind the wheel, watching the snow starting to obscure the windshield. Reaching for the key he cranked the old car up.

"We're not leaving, are we?" Kim asked, a little distressed.

He shook his head. "Just turning the heater on."

Kim rubbed her bare arms. Picking up her coat she draped it over herself like a blanket. A few moments later she leaned back against Ron.

"You ever think about names?" He asked, rubbing her shoulder under the jacket.

"I don't really think about babies, at least where I'm concerned." She admitted.

"I thought you wanted to have kids."

"Yeah, I do, but that's so far in the future…and considering my love life before us, I really didn't think about it at all before."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close again. "Somehow I think we're going to turn around and we'll have a couple of kids and we're going to wonder where all the time went." He pulled her chin up for a gentle kiss. "It seems like we've been together forever now, even though it hasn't been a year but at the same time it seems like it was just yesterday you were kissing me at the Prom. I used to think I'd never have a real girlfriend and now we've got both our parents mentioning grandkids and we're talking about the rest of our lives."

Kim started singing softly. "Could it be, you and I never imagined…"

"Could it be, suddenly I'm falling for you." Ron sang in his halting falsetto.

She kept humming as she snuggled into his chest again.

"You're named after your grandfathers, aren't you?" She asked finally, kneading the small of his back, her eyes closed as she drank in his body heat.

"Yeah. Eugene Stoppable Sr. and Ronald Rokowski."

"That's it, then. We'll name our first boy after our fathers and our first girl after our mothers." She pulled his shirt tail out of the back of his pants and lightly scratched his skin with her fingernails.

Bending over, he kissed her, starting gently but letting his passion grow. Before long Kim sat up a little big, wrapping both arms around his neck as she returned that passion.

"I like that." He said as she kissed his neck just above his collar.

"You're so good at it." She breathed, loosening his tie then pulling it out of his collar. She started working on the top button.

"No, I mean about the names, though I like Donald for some reason."

"Donald, you want to name our son after a duck?" Finally getting the button loose she kissed his neck a little further down, getting some of the remains of her lipstick on his collar.

"Didn't think of it that way, but I like your idea better."

"Mmmm, hmmm." She hummed as she kissed him again.

After a bit, he turned the heater down a little, as the car was starting to get quite warm.

"KP, are you starting to feel _romantic_ again?"

"Very." She breathed, kissing his neck again. The she backed up and looked into his eyes. "But this is as romantic as we're getting. I think we've learned our lesson, don't you?"

"I do like this very much. Guess if I decided to unzip your dress," he touched her neck just above the tab, "Drakken would sit up in the back seat and hit us with some freaky beam."

She started giggling, covering her mouth. Sitting back a little she started laughing out loud. "The thought of Drakken suddenly rising up behind us…" She laughed a little more.

"Silly, huh?"

"Not so much. Now I almost want to call Wade to make sure he's still in prison." She picked up her clutch purse, then set it back down. "Nah, better make sure first hand."

Ron looked puzzled. "I'm not driving this old thing all the way down to Mississippi." That's where they were holding him in a special facility until he could have a real trial.

"No, not unless somebody else wants to take us down there." She turned around and clumsily climbed over the back of their seat, almost kicking him with her boot. She landed on her rump in the back of the car and made a show of looking around.

"Coast is clear. No Drakken, no Shego, no Monkey Fist back here?"

"What about Frugal Lucre?" He leaned over the back of the seat, grinning at her.

"He's hiding in the trunk, but he's no big." She laughed, patting the seat beside her.

Ron demonstrated even less grace climbing over, almost landing on her in the process. There was no way in the world he was going to get out and use the back door, letting all their warm air out."

By the time he got in his seat, Kim pointed back to the front. "Maybe you'd better shut the engine off. I think it's plenty warm in here, don't you?"

"Oh yeah." He threw his body back over the seat, straining to reach the key.

Kim took that opportunity to enjoy the view. Not only that, she put her hand on his backside, giving it a good squeeze as the car sputtered off.

"Mmmm, Monique and your mother are right. Very nice." She smiled warmly as he sat back down.

"You know, for somebody who wants to be romantic, you sure know how to kill a guy's mood." He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Doesn't look like your mood is suffering much." She whispered as they both slipped down on the seat, locked once more in a loving kiss.

* * *

Bonnie locked her bedroom door behind her and threw her purse on her bed. He date had ended just like all the rest had since breaking up with Brick. The guy had made certain assumptions based upon her reputation and when he found out those assumptions were not correct, he had quickly taken her home, exchanging only polite words before speeding off.

Growling softly, she sat down at her dresser and lit a cigarette. She had tried quitting for a while but being around her sisters, who both smoked themselves, that had proven impossible. The longest stretch she had gone without one was while she was in Japan. The moment she got home from the airport, she was in that very seat, pulling a pack and her lighter out of her drawer. At least since she was eighteen her mother couldn't complain about her being too young now.

Feeling a little better as the nicotine filtered though her system, she sat back in her chair, crossing her legs. Maybe it would have gone better if she had given in to the guy, maybe just a little something? No, that was a line she just didn't want to cross. Much as most people thought she was a certain way, she only wanted to venture that far with somebody she actually cared about.

That line of thinking took her back to a familiar place. The smiling face that inhabited it would never force her in that direction. That made her think about it all that much more. The thought of Ron and Kim being fully intimate made her feel both lonely and angry.

Somewhere along the line her image of Ron Stoppable had started changing, from the skinny, bird chested boy she had known all along to what he really was today. He was still skinny, but it was somehow 'man' skinny instead of 'boy' skinny. Maybe it was simply because he was taller or maybe because she had been given a peek at the real Ron. She didn't quite know and she didn't quite care.

A little over a month since deciding that it was somebody like him she really wanted she was starting to realize just how unique he really was. Most of the shy, sensitive, almost nerdy types turned into touchy feely horny boys the moment they were alone with her and the thought of that almost sickened her. They always quickly asked her out when she started showing some interest but it turned out they only saw her as being 'easy.'

Very few people knew she was still a virgin.

Somehow, though, she knew that wasn't the whole reason Brick dumped her. It was a big part and he'd as much as said so, but there was more to it than that.

Putting that thought out of her mind, she opened her closet and took out a black clothes bag. Glancing at her door, she opened it and spread the solid black clothing out on her bed, smoothing out the edges before stepping back and staring at it.

Almost as if she was in a panic, she put it back into the bag and zipped it up, hanging it in the middle of her other clothes bags, sliding the other hangers so it looked as if it had not been disturbed.

What was she going to do with it? Why did she even have it?

Lighting another cigarette, she sat down again, trying to think.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	23. Part XXIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXIII**

* * *

"Okay, Ron, you can turn around now." 

Ron untwisted his upper torso. Even though Kim had her changing screen out, his habit of turning away was so ingrained they both knew he'd actually have a little bit of trouble overcoming it when it was proper and expected for him to actually watch. When they infiltrated the Bermuda Triangle Club last spring, he had done the same thing when she stripped out of her wetsuit even though they both knew she was fully clothed underneath it.

"Wow, KP! That is absolutely badical!"

Kim twirled around once, ending with her hands splayed on her slightly cocked hips. If one casually glanced at her, they would think she was wearing her old traditional mission gear. All the colors were the same, with one important difference. Her old pants had been baggy enough she could have put both her muscular legs down just one of the pant's. This new pair, being comprised of the self-healing fabric from the super-suits, clung to her figure and legs almost skin tight. It was like someone had taken an olive green battle-suit and chopped it off a couple inches below her belly button.

The differences in her top weren't as obvious. It was the same shape and style of crop top mock turtleneck she had always worn, except there were slightly shinier panels at the shoulders and neck, as well as a stripe running down the middle, concealing a micro-zipper. Like her new pants, it was made of the self-healing fabric.

The first think Kim noticed was that Ron couldn't take his eyes off her legs. "I take it you like?" She ran her hands down over her thighs. Her feet were still bare and there were a couple more accessories lying on the bed but her boyfriend had not noticed. Turning around, the wiggled her backside just slightly. "Or is that what you like."

Considering his grin, she figured it was.

"Isn't that a bit on the tight side, at least for you?" He asked finally.

"Actually, they're not tight at all." She did a quick high kick, then landed on the floor in a split. "I've got better freedom of movement than I even had in the baggy cargos and besides…" She walked up to him and lifted his chin with her fingertips, "…it gives you more opportunities to see my legs."

"Among other things." He reached up and caressed her hip. "So what is this meeting at GJ all about?"

"I don't know. I just hope it's not some kind of extended mission or something. I was looking forward to a nice long weekend with my lover." Sitting down beside him, she gave him a tender kiss. For once, they didn't have any definite plans for the weekend, though his parents were leaving in the morning for a nice, romantic getaway to celebrate the good news they had shared earlier in the week. Not that they wanted to stay cooped up in the house _all_ day long. The forecast was almost spring-like and they wanted to take full advantage of that.

"Lover? That sounds a little…I dunno…dirty?"

Kim wrinkled her nose slightly. "Too much? I just thought boyfriend just sounds a little…kinda not enough."

Ron pulled her legs across his, rubbing her knees. "Doesn't matter what we call it. Boyfriend is fine by me. I always thought it went boyfriend, fiancé, husband, so there's nothing wrong with calling me that. Lover sounds like it's one step removed from, well, if you're talking about a woman, mistress."

"Yeah." She swung her legs back to the floor. "I've got something for you."

"Oh? I thought Valentines wasn't until Tuesday."

Kim opened the vault in the back of her closet. There was already a new black super-suit hanging beside the old white one. Wade had obviously been busy. She patted the sleeve of the new one. "This one, he can track whether somebody is wearing it or not." There still hadn't been any evidence of what became of the old one, but the fact it hadn't shown up on Wade's system meant it had not been worn, if it was even still intact.

Stooping down (which really captured Ron's attention) she brought out a metal box about the size of a medium suitcase. Dialing the combination lock, she opened it up on the bed right beside Ron.

He picked up the boots that were sitting on top of the folded black material. They were a lot like the ones he had on, more sneaker than boot, but the tops were made to merge with the material of the other contents.

Kim pulled it up by its shoulders. It was the same muted black as her top, but the details were shiny goldenrod, just slightly darker than Ron's hair. Pulling it free from its container, she held it up against him.

Ron looked at the outfit dubiously. "I hope this one isn't like my white one?"

Kim walked her fingers up his chest, then touched his nose. "I didn't mind it."

"KP, you could see everything in that thing."

"Yes…I could." She gave him a sly smile. "You do have the cutest butt."

"It's not my butt I was worried about."

"Don't be a baby, Ron. Nobody noticed. It's like wearing a sports bathing suit, people just look away."

"But KP, I wear trunks."

"Ronnie, if anybody starts staring, it's not because they're about to break out laughing." She leaned closer. "Turnabout's fair play. You can see my butt in mine, I can see your butt in yours." She gave him a light pat on his backside. "Now go put that on so I can see you in it."

A few minutes later he stepped out from behind the modesty screen.

"Mmmm. Turn around. See, it looks just fine on you."

"You sure it doesn't make me look, you know, beefy in the bootie?"

"Ron, with your narrow hips, you need some beefy, maybe that'd keep your danged pants up." She laughed. Getting up from her seat on the bed, she wrapped her arms around him and drew him close for a kiss. Right as their lips met, her hands drifted down and took a good handful of the body part they had been discussing.

"You do know that doing that means your father is bound to be walking up the steps right now." He said as her hands lingered there.

"Well good. We got him used to us kissing, maybe it's time to get him used to other things." Smiling she kissed him again, her hands clasping behind his back.

Letting go of him, she reached under her bed. "Okay, the suit was really from Wade but this is from me." She handed him a flat box with a Club Banana logo.

"KP, like I said, Valentines isn't until Tuesday. You're gonna make me look bad."

"I hope not." Her expression started bordering on her famous pout. "Anyway, this isn't a Valentine's gift. It's a practical everyday gift."

Inside was a pair of charcoal colored cargos. They were a tad longer than his old ones, which was nice considering most of his new height was in his legs. The cargo pockets were the deeper, military style and it also had zip-off legs, just below the knees.

"It's a material called rip-stop." Kim giggled.

"I love it." He started stepping into them, pulling them right over his super-suit.

"Hey, you're cutting off the view." She sulked.

Ron shrugged. "It's not my butt I'm worried about showing off. The black helps, but, well, anybody would know which side I dress on…" he held up a finger. "Don't you dare say 'no big.'"

Kim helped him clip the fastex buckle of his utility belt. "Can't, that would just be lying." She gave him another quick kiss. "Now finish dressing, we're supposed to be there in thirty minutes."

She pulled on thickly treaded tan boots that matched her tool belt, then clipped an external cargo pouch around her legs. Without the suit's full power system, the self-healing material didn't lend itself to pockets.

Ron looked her up and down once more. "Bon-diggity." He said, his eyes lingering a bit lower than usual. "Um, KP, I know it's in the high forties outside right now, but don't you think a crop-top is going to be a little cool?"

"Already taken care of." Touching a hidden control on her collar, the arms and stomach portion of her top extended all the way to her gloves and pants. "No big for a guy who can make a formal gown turn into a stealth suit."

"I should have guessed." He held up one finger. "Be right back."

She could hear the inside door to the garage open and close and moments later he reappeared, not even breathing hard from running down and up two flights of stairs. He had a tan plastic shipping bag in his hands. She recognized them immediately as coming from R.R. Boston clothing company.

"I know you like Club Banana, but they didn't have these in black." Opening the bag with a small pocket knife, he pulled out two solid black commando style sweaters. They had a heavy cable knit with nylon reinforcements on the elbows and shoulders.

"Oh, it's perfect." She said as she pulled her hair free from the collar. "Thank you, Baby."

Most likely responding to the noise, James Possible stuck his head through the hatch, just in time to see his daughter kissing her boyfriend. He had gotten to the point where seeing that brought a smile to his face, though Kim was sure he wouldn't have been smiling if she had seen them a little bit earlier.

"Playing dress-up, Kimmie-cub?"

"Just getting ready for a meeting with GJ, Dad."

Noting the dressing screen was out, he nodded. "Okay, you kids have a good time." He started back down the stairs, then paused. "Oh, Ron. About what you asked me earlier. I talked to Kim's Mom and we both agreed. It'll be just fine."

Looking slightly nervous, Ron said. "Okay, thanks MrDrP. Really."

"What was that about?" Kim eyed him dubiously.

"Oh, nothing. Just some stuff your Dad and I were discussing."

"Ron?" Her voice dropped an octave and her hands went to her hips. "That sounded a lot like you asked him permission for something."

"It's nothing, KP."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. He suddenly wasn't meeting her eyes and while he wasn't rubbing his nose, he looked like he was fighting to keep his hand from going to the back of his neck, a sure sign he was keeping something secret.

With Valentines just a few days away and him asking her parent's permission for something?

"Ronald Eugene Stoppable, what are you up to?" She asked, a small smile forming.

"Nothing."

Curiosity was starting to burn her up. Moments later her lower lip quivered out as she put on her Puppy-dog-pout, full power.

Instead of breaking down, Ron just got a look of extreme confidence on his face. "When you look like that, it's so cute. I just want to grab a hold of you and snuggle you like you were my own little Pandaroo." For effect, he picked up the old stuffed Cuddlebuddy and gave it a crushing hug.

Kim just sat there stunned. Only her parents had successfully resisted the PDP, and it was only because her mother could do it as well.

"Ronald, you're forcing me to take drastic measures." She grabbing her around the waist with one hand, the other reaching for his head. Moments later she had him pinned to the bed.

With one hand she started caressing his ear. Then she kissed the outer edge and nibbled on his earlobe.

"It's not working, KP. Okay, it's working a little, but I'm not talking."

Kim sat up and rolled off him. "It's a good think my father is home, or I'd have to pull out my secret weapon."

Ron's eyes lit up. "Oh, and what would that be?"

"Tell me what I want to know and you'll find out, buster." She got up and headed for the hatch. "Come on, it's time to go."

Somehow it felt funny being 'in uniform' walking the streets of Middleton. Their best guess on how to get to Global Justice was the head for Bueno Nacho and take the tube way from there. That was certainly easier than retracing their steps in the warehouse district where they had pursued a robotic ninja into the underground network a couple years earlier.

Neither of them were quite surprised when the sidewalk gave way beneath them right in front of Kim's house. Well, Ron was. He quit screaming just as the capsule landed in the control room, unwrapping himself from her.

His hand lingered on the small of her back and he could feel her muscles tense up as they recognized their welcoming committee.

"Kim Possible, welcome back to Global Justice." Wil Du announced as stiffly as ever. "If you'll follow me."

They both started after him, though he suddenly turned on his heel. "This is a private meeting for Miss Possible." He held up a hand, blocking Ron's way.

"Now you listen to me, Agent Du." Kim growled. "If you people want to deal with me, Ron's part of the deal. He's my partner. If you've got business with Team Possible, that means both of us."

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket, chittering angrily at her.

"Make that all three of us." She amended. Rufus smugly crossed his arms.

"Come on." Wil husked as the trio followed him once more. "I thought you were on injured reserve." He cast a withering glance at Ron.

He held up his gloved right hand, wiggling his wrist. "Nope. When the cast came off it was completely healed. My doc cleared me for action. Guess it wasn't as broken as they thought."

Wil just grunted and led them to the same large conference room they had used the first time Kim was here.

Dr. Betty Director stood as they entered. Much to Kim's delight, Wil Du didn't follow them into the room.

"Welcome _Team_ Possible." Her emphasis on 'team' told them both she had been watching their entrance. The older woman smiled at Kim's opportunity to take the overconfident agent down a small peg once again. Her review of the last mission the two of them had gone on revealed that most of its shortcomings stemmed from Wil's participation.

"What's this about?" Kim asked as she took her seat. Ron quietly sat down beside her. Full partner or not, he knew who really wore the pants when it came to the world-saving business.

"Mostly good news. First of all, our teams have scoured Gottagrin Resort within a ten mile radius. Now that we know the all the compounds we are looking for, we can now assure the current owners the property is fully cleared of the toxic runoff from science camp."

Kim laid a hand on Ron's leg, feeling a slight shudder going through him. He may have beaten the place three times now, but there were still some deep-rooted feelings associated with it.

"Along those lines, the company who owns it has changed their plans for the property. They're now going to raze it and return it to a fully natural area."

Kim grinned. "That's good to know. I'd hate to get stuck spending the night there again out of the blue."

Dr. Director nodded. "We're running some final tests on the materials we recovered from the ravine. Once those are done, we plan on incinerating the remains of the creature. Hopefully that will put an end to the horrors of Lake Wannaweep, at least if Mr. Moss can fully recover.

"On to other topics. It has taken far longer than I liked, but we have finally made a breakthrough with the school board concerning the new rules they implemented this school year." She handed Kim a letter.

She scanned it, a wide smile breaking out as she did so. "Does this mean what I think it does?"

"Yes, Kim. You've been granted a full exemption from the cell-phone ban. Your circumstance is…unique and it took a great deal of discussion with the new board to convince them of that."

She took two envelopes from her briefcase and handed one to each of them. "These are documents establishing Team Possible as legitimate independent contractors in the employ of Global Justice. It doesn't mean anything is really different, only that now the two of you are no longer working for us for free. I know it won't be much and I could not convince my superiors to pay you for your past services, but I hope this goes toward making things a little easier on both of you. I expect, in the coming months, the two of you should be quite busy."

Kim regarded the sealed envelope for a moment. "What about while we're at school?"

Betty Director shook her head. "I had a very lengthy…_discussion_ with my sister about that. I'm afraid she is not willing to budge on her position. She is still afraid that she will be the one at fault if something happens to you if she releases you for a mission while you are under her authority. I couldn't get the board to overrule her either on this matter."

Kim looked at Ron, then back to the operational head of Global Justice. "That just means if I get a call while we're there, I'm still going to have to wait until the end of the day. That's going to ferociously drive me crazy knowing somebody needs my help."

Dr. Director shrugged. "It's out of our hands. I'm sorry." She brought one more thing out of her satchel. "This was found in an abandoned lab in Upperton." She handed her what looked like a small circuit board, only it was far more flexible.

"What is this?"

Betty Director pursed her lips. "It is the locator transponder from your missing Battle Suit." She paused. "That can only mean one thing."

Kim frowned, staring at the wafer thin module. "It means somebody has the suit."

"Not only that, but whoever has it knows what that technology does."

Kim's frown deepened, knowing full well what that meant.

* * *

A/N - If you'd like to see what Kim's and Ron's new outfits look like, I've posted a picture at DevArt, which can be accesses through my profile page. There's also a picture of Kim in her snow suit from the Mt Middleton chapters, as well as a picture that gives you an idea of why Ron was so uncomfortable in his 'Too Tight' white super-suit.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	24. Part XXIV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXIV**

* * *

Even though the temperature had been below freezing when the sun came up, Saturday quickly turned into an early taste of spring. It wasn't expected to last, as a cold front would be there by Monday, bringing more light snow with it. Still, it would have been a terrible shame to miss out on such good weather, especially on a Saturday. 

The young couple certainly weren't going to pass up such an opportunity. As soon as the sun was up they loaded Ron's car up with a picnic lunch and some other goodies and headed right for Lake Middleton State Park. Even with the air warming up, they still wore their cold weather gear, at least until they got there when they stripped down to matching winter sweaters.

Back in town the snow had been gone for several days now, but in the dense woods surrounding the lake there were still patches of white. At least the gravel trail was clear and mostly dry by this point. After about an hour of slowly meandering through the forest they reached the place where they intended to have their picnic. Last spring they found this place when they were looking for some privacy to do some make-up making-out after a particularly nasty fight, one that might have led to their breakup if it had not been for the intervention of Monique and Rabbi Katz.

Two seconds sitting on their picnic blanket and they realized the place really wasn't going to work. It was the beginning of June then and it had been dry for weeks. Now the small meadow was probably free of snow for only a day at best and the ground was still completely saturated, as were their behinds after trying to sit and enjoy the sunshine.

Both of them nearly fell over laughing as they tried to use the remaining dry parts of the blanket to pat the moisture off their respective butts. "Not exactly the way I had this in mind." Ron sputtered as he dried Kim's backside.

"Well, it's a better excuse than usual for you to have your hand back there." She gave him a little pat on his head as he folded up the blanket. For lunch they would have to head back for the main area and use a picnic table, if they could find one that had been in the sun long enough to thaw out.

Carrying the basket and the blanket (which was now slightly heavier than before) made it a little hard to hold hands, so they settled for letting their shoulders bump together slightly as they made their way back.

Kim pouted slightly. "I was so looking forward to some private smooching time."

Ron stopped and looked around. They were still deep in the woods, the lake itself barely visible through the trees. During the spring and summer months there would be hundreds of people in the park, most of them concentrated around the sandy beach not far from the main entrance. Today they had seen maybe a dozen people in total since passing the gates. Barring the odd coincidence, they were completely alone.

Setting down his basket, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, holding her close and rocking back and forth slightly as if they were slow dancing. Kim tilted her head back, her eyes closed, enjoying his touch to the fullest. She craned her head back a little more so he could kiss her.

Just as she turned in his arms so she could kiss him some more, the Kimmunicator beeped in her pants pocket.

"Oh please, not now. This is our time." Kim whined as she pulled the device out. "Hey, Wade. Sitch it for me."

"Whoa, what's got you so blue, Kim?" Their twelve year old tech guru asked as his face appeared on the screen.

"Oh, nothing, just an all day long date with Ron on the prettiest Saturday we've had all winter."

"Sorry. We just got a hit about the Red Circle Gang committing some high-tech robberies in Go City."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Aren't they supposed to be Team Go's responsibility?"

"Normally, yes, but they're overcommitted and they specifically requested you for this case."

"Grrrrr. Okay. What have you got for a ride?"

"If you can get to Upperton Depot in an hour, I can get you a ride on the train."

"A train? Wade, the last time you lined us up a train ride it was a circus train being pulled by a steam engine Ron could beat on his mountain bike running uphill." Kim complained.

"This is a regular passenger train, and in Denver you can transfer to the High Speed Special, which should get you to Go City in about ten hours. Sorry, I don't have any air transport for you."

"Okay, we're on our way. Tell Hego he owes us big for this."

"Will do." He gave her a big thumbs up. Then he noticed her scowl. "Okay, that came out wrong. Talk to you guys later. Wade out."

"Did he just say Wil Du?" Ron said, laughing slightly.

"Shut up, Ron." She said, her 'tweaked' expression dominating her features as they headed back to the car.

They threw their things quickly into the rear hatch. "Ron, I don't remember bringing out backpacks?" She pointed to the two brown packs, which doubled as school bags and mission gear packs, propped against the back of the rear seats.

"I grabbed 'em on our way out this morning. Never know when a…mission might pop up."

She mulled that a couple seconds. "Good thinking, though I think you threw a mojo on us by bringing them."

"Sorry, KP, I was thinking the whole other way around. I thought if we were prepared it wouldn't happen. Guess I screwed up."

"No, Baby, you did good. I'm proud of you, thinking like that. Wanna suit up now?"

He shook his head. "We've got a ten hour train ride, plus however long it takes this commuter train to reach Denver, I think we'll be more comfortable dressed like this."

"If my butt ever dries out." Kim said as she climbed into the car seat.

"Tell you what, KP, since we were spending the whole day together anyway, why don't we just pretend we're not on a mission until we get to Go City?" He gave her knee a slight squeeze before putting the car in reverse.

"That's not procedure." She tried mimicking Hego's voice.

"Well, I'm not going to tell the senior partner if you don't." He grinned at her. Even though his wrist was fully healed, they had gotten into the habit of driving the car together, Kim operating the gearshift for him while he drove, affording him the opportunity to keep a hand on top of her leg.

"Ronnie, there isn't a senior partner with us. We're equals. Got it?"

He shook his head. "Kim, that would be just stupid. You're smarter than me, stronger than me and I've got no illusions about who it is that always saves the world. When it comes to Team Possible, you're the one on top."

"Honey, that's sweet, but I want you to take a more active role. You don't always have to be the distraction. You saved both of us back at Wannaweep. Tell you what, we both have strengths and weaknesses, we'll do what the sitch calls for. If that means you have to take the lead, then you do it."

He gave her leg another squeeze. "Okay, then I call dibs on this mission."

Kim cocked an eyebrow at him as they pulled out onto the main highway. She shifted into fourth and settled back in her seat a little. "We'll see."

"There's that code word for 'ferociously unlikely' again." He smiled, letting her know he was teasing her about that.

"No, it means we'll see who's best suited to lead when we get to Go City and assess the sitch."

"Okay boss."

She punched him lightly in the hip. "Okay, _team leader_, what's our first move."

Grinning, he took her hand and entwined their fingers. "Our first move is just getting there and the mission doesn't start until we do."

"Okay boss." She said, squeezing his hand and laying her head down on his shoulder as best she could in the little car.

The train just pulling into the station when they got there about thirty minutes later. It was Colorado State Transit commuter train made up of modernized older streamline cars pulled by a retired Amtrak diesel. Ron spent a moment talking to the conductor before they took their seats, which were somewhere between what they would find on a long haul passenger bus and coach seats on an airplane, albeit with a little more leg room. Kim let him take the window seat and she leaned against him, snuggling against him.

She almost said something when he pulled her pack down from the luggage rack and rummaged around in it, but decided not to chide him for doing that since he'd packed it himself. Moments later he produced a rather thick book. Kim frowned slightly when she realized what it was.

"We're reading this next month too, so for once we can share our notes." Ron suggested as he handed her the copy of _The Old Man and the Sea_ she had been assigned earlier that week.

"Homework on a mission, Oy." She grumped as she found the bookmark.

"Team leader's orders." He whispered as she settled into as close an approximation of her favored reading position as the seats would allow.

"You know, this isn't exactly the reason I'd like to go to Go City right now." She mentioned after reading for about half an hour.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The New York City Ballet Company is there performing Valentino Surprise at the Go City Opera House. I've always wanted to see that in person."

"Ballet? Ug. I'd just as soon go to see the Go City Angels play the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. It's a shame, really, we'd be getting there just in time for either one."

"Hockey. Hate to say this Ronnie, but like you said, ug. Wait a minute. I can understand you knowing when a hockey game is on, but a ballet?"

He shrugged. "You mentioned it a couple weeks ago so I looked it up. There was a schedule on the home page." He looked down at her, but her attention was still on the book so she couldn't see his slightly worried expression.

She turned a page in her book. "Oh, okay." Closing it, she nestled a little deeper into his arms. "I think I'll read some more after we change trains. We were up really early this morning and we didn't exactly get to bed until late last night." It had been their usual Friday evening. They came home at eleven and it was well after midnight when her mother finally chased him out of the house. He had hoped he would be invited to spend the night or simply be left snoozing on the couch with her but Anne Possible had seemingly acquiesced to her husband's wishes, leaving such things for emergencies and special occasions.

Ron wrapped his arm around her as she dozed off, snoring softly.

Everything was going perfectly according to plan. With his own smile he rested his head against the window and tried to add to the two hours of sleep he had managed before six that morning.

* * *

The train station in Denver had seen better days. Where the Upperton Depot was a relatively small, it had been lovingly restored by the local historical committee. In reality, it was more of a museum than a working train station, though the commuter train did maintain a stop there, tickets being sold from a small portable building.

The larger station was still a working building. Amtrak, being constantly strapped for cash, had elected to let the historical societies preserve the 1914 structure, with its 64 foot ceilings and high, arched windows as well, but it had a much more 'lived in and used' appearance than the freshly painted, almost new look of the restored depot.

The gleaming white and purple train waiting at the main platform looked utterly out of place. Ron had only seen the advanced, high speed train in pictures and it was certainly much more impressive in person.

Kim, on the other hand, had seen a freight version of the train up close. Very up close, as in about to run both her mother and her down on their four-wheeled ATV.

"Look at this, KP." Ron was reading a brochure he had picked up in the station after disembarking from the older train. "The engine is totally robotic, with only a small support crew on board. It uses…"

"An advanced power supply. I know. I just hope the brakes work better than the one I was on before."

"Huh?"

"Remember last Mother's Day?"

"Boy do I." He shook involuntarily, remembering his all-day attempt to clean out the garage, a feat he only accomplished after Kim showed up with a matter-eating protoplasmic blob.

Kim pointed at the idling engine, which looked far more likely to take off into the sky than rocket down the tracks. "That's the same kind of train Mom and I had to get on at a hundred miles per hour when we were trying to keep Drakken from getting his hands on the SynthoPlasm."

"You're not weirded out riding a train like this, are you?"

"Nah. Just seems kinda funny is all."

They were shown by the staff to a private compartment just two cars back from the dining car. The small space had two tiny fold-down beds but they wouldn't be needing them since the train was scheduled to arrive in Go City just before eight that evening. It wasn't going to take ten hours as Wade had first said, but just under seven. When the train hit the new high-speed corridor with its concrete ties and welded rail, it would hit speeds close to two hundred miles per hour. It wasn't as fast as the TGV in France, but that was due more to the lower standard of track it would have to negotiate in places.

Ron took both their packs and stowed them in an upper compartment as Kim examined the room. Gripping his shoulder she pulled him close for a quick kiss. "It seems our new team leader has made a very good tactical decision."

"Oh, how's that?"

"By not starting official mission time until we get there. If this was just a trip for the two of us it would be very, very nice."

Ron smiled broadly, then kissed her again before holding the book up between them. "Work before play." He said, raising his eyebrows.

"Grrrrrrrr." Taking the book, she sat down in her seat just as the train started moving. Ron took the seat directly across from her instead of beside her and picked up her feet to take off her hiking boots.

"Oh, that's so good." She moaned as he rubbed her feet.

"What in the world are these socks?" They were white with little animal faces on them.

Kim pulled the leg of her black denims up and pointed to a readily recognizable face. "Cuddlebuddy socks. I got them from the Cuddler's website. I just wish they had more of Pandaroo on them."

Ron went back to rubbing her feet. "Wanna rub mine?"

Kim held up the book again. "Work before play, Baby. Mmmm, I like that." She purred as he worked the middle with his thumbs. "I've got you trained right."

She read for several hours, eventually changing sides so she could snuggle with him as usual, not even complaining when his hands started roaming just a bit. Closing the book after surpassing her current assignment by a couple chapters (not counting the report she would have to compose before classes resumed Tuesday morning) she stuffed it into the baggage compartment and sat in Ron's lap.

"Play time?" She whispered, gripping her hands over his as they encircled her waist. Tilting her head back, they started kissing until a knock on the door startled both of them.

"Tickets, please." A voice drifted through the door.

"Tickets? I thought this was all taken care of?" She wondered, quickly tucking her blouse back into her pants. Their sweaters lay discarded on the other seat.

"I'll take care of this." Ron quickly stepped out the door, returning moments later. "They just got the compartments mixed up.

"I thought the railroads were the model of efficiency?"

Ron just shrugged. "They're only human." He looked up at the folding berth. Kim followed his eyes up.

"Uh uh, leader boy. Behave yourself."

"Eh, I was just thinking." He got up and opened it anyway. It was crisply made, though there was obviously only space for one person.

"Ron, there's less room up there than the back seat of your car. Now sit down here with me." She pulled him back down by his waist, making him land in her lap for a change.

Kim wrapped her arms around him and gave him a good squeeze. "Alright, your turn now." She got up and shut the berth, taking a seat opposite from him so she could rub his feet.

Later, as they dozed once more in each other's arms, the PA announced they were thirty minutes from Go City.

"I think we'd better suit up." She said, extracting herself from his arms. Shaking her head slightly as he went right back to sleep, she opened the compartment and took out the two packs. Kim frowned a little when she realized her pack wasn't bulky enough for her new boots, nor heavy enough for her older 'rocket skates' shoes. Oh well, that just meant making do with her hiking boots.

She kicked Ron's foot, hoping to wake him up. They'd pretty much have to change together since they were this close but had seen Ron in his underwear countless times and since it really was getting close to mission time, he'd be all business anyway. To and extent. Fortunately she wasn't wearing any 'special' garments under her blouse and jeans.

Ron got up and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck before she could even finish unbuttoning her blouse.

"Okay, loverboy, it's showtime, and I don't mean a striptease either." She opened her pack and pulled out the first piece of clothing.

It wasn't black or olive. It was dark purple. She pulled it on out and it kept coming and coming…

"Ron? I thought you said you packed our mission gear?" She held the knee-length dress out in front of him. "How am I supposed to take on the Red Circle gang in this?

He was grinning from ear to ear. "I packed the appropriate, mission specific gear we would need tonight."

"Ron, this is the dress I bought for the Spring Fling dance, not mission gear." She started buttoning her blouse back, stuffing the tail into her waistband.

"It is if our mission consists of ballet, followed by a late dinner." He put on his most innocent look.

Kim's jaw hung open. "What?"

Ron opened his own pack, pulling out a neatly folded dress shirt and gray slacks. His tie was already done so all he had to do was pull it over his head and tighten it up.

"It's like this, KP. Tuesday, we've got class all day. Then we've got cheer practice and since we're starting a new, more advanced routine, which includes me, by the way, it's going to run right past dinner time. Throw in the fact I've got a big trig test the next day and that's a recipe for either a really short date or none at all. The best we could do would be having supper together at home and exchanging gifts, so I figured the weekend would be better." He reached into his pack and withdrew two tickets to _Valentino Surprise_.

"Ron, I, what?"

"Happy Valentines, KP."

"You planned all this? There's no Red Circle gang waiting for us in Go City?"

"Nope. Far as I know, most of them are still in prison. They're Team Go's responsibility anyway."

Kim looked into her bag. There was a nice pair of her dress shoes in there, as well as a dressy sweater.

"Ron, I don't believe this." She dropped everything and swept him into a ferocious hug. "You did all this for me?"

"Beats chocolates." He said sheepishly.

She gave him a huge kiss. "Be my Valentine?" She asked, smiling hugely.

"Forever and ever." He said after kissing her again.

"So how are we getting back?"

"Same train tomorrow morning. We'll be back in time for Sunday dinner with your folks."

She looked him straight in the eye. "So this is what you had to ask permission about."

He shrugged slightly in her arms. "Not so much the train or the ballet, but since we're going to stay overnight."

"Oh? You got that past my father?"

"Well, I had to promise him I'd get separate rooms…and promise him we'd use them." He added when she looked at him with hooded eyes.

"Doesn't mean we have to use both rooms _all_ night." She purred.

"I like the way you think, KP."

She let go of him and picked up her dress. "Come on, Mr. Team Leader, get dressed, you've got a night on the town to show a certain lady."

"Booyah." He said as he pulled his shirt over his head.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	25. Part XXV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXV**

* * *

The school day was just a little over an hour old, and it was already turning out to be one of those days.

Kim almost always woke up just a few minutes before her alarm went off, to the point it was simply there so she could hear the weather forecasts as she went through a quick stretching and aerobics routine before heading down for her morning shower. This morning, by the time she actually awakened, the morning drive duo had already launched into their usual banter about the woman's two children of some other slightly embarrassing topic concerning their listener's love lives. They annoyed her no end but that particular station at least had the most succinct news and weather, not to mention the fact she usually turned the radio off by that point.

She wasn't late-late but it did put her in a rush. Without her exercises she wasn't waking up like she wanted to, so she had two cups of coffee and emptied the pot into her large travel mug.

Ron seemed extremely chipper that morning, but he caught on quick to her mood and drove her to school in relative silence without her resorting to a 'shut up and drive' glare.

This was, of course, his fault!

She didn't tell him so but it seemed she was beaming that fact straight into his mind as she drained her mug before they even hit the parking lot of school that Tuesday morning.

Kim wasn't the only one dragging. With Monday being a teacher's work day, it seemed most of the student body had the same idea Ron did, shifting most Valentine's day festivities to the three-day weekend.

That's why she felt the way she did and why it was Ron's fault. When she had gone to bed the night before, she had been walking on cloud nine. What she didn't realize then was just how exhausted she really was. The ballet had been magical and even though he was utterly confused through most of it, Ron waited until they went to dinner to ask her what was actually going on. She had to confess that, since the operatic portions were in Italian, she really didn't know what the singing was about but the performance was astoundingly beautiful.

Dinner was at a candlelight restaurant walking distance from the opera house. There was a large crowd already there, mainly from the performance but Ron already had reservations so they were able to go straight to a table and even though it was past eleven, she was ravenous, especially since they had skipped any kind of meal on the train, intent on spending their pre-'mission' time basically making out.

It was long after two in the morning when Ron went to his own room, in keeping with her father's conditions set for the trip. It wasn't like they would do anything they didn't do on the train, but his instructions had been explicit. Not that it helped her any. By four in the morning she was still staring at the empty pillow beside her, knowing that when they were away like this she always slept better when Ron was by her side. Even before their relationship began he would have at least been nearby in a sleeping bag, his presence meaning more to her than she realized at the time.

Somehow she did finally manage into a deep slumber, one she didn't awaken from until Ron was back in her room shaking her shoulder. They barely had an hour to get back to the Go City Union Station.

He was wrong about the nature of the train taking them back to Denver. The High Speed Special continued on to New York City after leaving them the night before, so it was a much more conventional train waiting for them on the platform. Fortunately, they still had a private compartment so the slower train suited her just fine. After a simple but hearty breakfast in the diner car she quickly changed back into her pajamas to settle in for a few more hours of sleep.

Ron attempted to curl up with her in the berth, but after rolling off twice he gave up and curled up in the seats rather than pull down the other berth (which was higher off the floor and he was becoming leery of the prospect of rolling out of the tiny bunk.)

A couple hours later Kim climbed out of hers, pulled off the blanket and snuggled up to him in the seat, getting the best sleep she had during their trip. When she finally woke up, they were still two hours away from Denver. They made the most of that time before she had to boot him from the tiny room so she could change back into her sweater and jeans, having noted how he liked to make like he was turning away while still watching her in the reflection of the window. Not that she so much minded him seeing her in her underwear but she wanted to honor the spirit of her father's wishes.

She was feeling a touch yucky since Ron missed one little detail in his planning and preparation for the trip. He packed her dress and her pajamas but somehow managed to forget spare underclothes.

Monday became their official gift day. He was back at her doorstep at seven in the morning bearing two small packages, a dozen long-stemmed red roses and the largest heart in the Russell Stover's inventory.

Rufus, who remained at home since their original trip to Lake Middleton was officially a date, was along this time. He couldn't be held back where large quantities of chocolate were concerned. It didn't matter that the confection was technically poisonous to most non-humans, he long ago proved he was utterly immune to whatever was in chocolate that made other animals sick. Kim was glad he was along, since she knew she would probably gain ten pounds by the time she was done with that thing. He also liked the gorchy coconut pieces.

The roses, it turned out, were for her Mom, who absolutely beamed as she hunted down a vase for them. They certainly brightened her day, especially since she was gearing up for a very dicey procedure at the medical center later that morning and had been up an hour later than normal pumping Kim for details about their trip.

The cold front was stalled and not expected until evening, so they took advantage of the lingering warmth to go out on the deck to finish exchanging gifts. She originally planned to give him his the next day but just like he said, they would have very little time to be together save for their school functions so she brought it out anyway.

It wasn't much. Despite belonging to a borderline upper class family, Kim's allowance was somewhat meager and as she got older, her chances of supplementing it with babysitting were growing thin. So, wearing sunglasses and tucking her long hair into a hat, she went to Smarty Mart and bought him a modest priced dress watch to wear instead of the black rubber sports watch he had on most of the time.

His first gift was a longer, slightly heavier chain for his ring and her locket so she could tuck it into even her lower cut tops if she needed to. The he pulled out the coup-de-grace.

Kim's heart almost stopped when he brought out a ring box. She suddenly had the mental image of him getting down on one knee, even though they had discussed in great detail that that would most def not happen until they were at least eighteen.

Instead of dropping to his knee, he slid closer to her on the picnic table bench and opened the box for her. Inside was a gold ring with a solitaire emerald, the cut matching the earring he had given her for her birthday. Inside was inscribed in floral script; _KP My Valentine Always_.

"It's beautiful, Ronnie." She gasped, trying it on. After giving him a big kiss she ran into the house to show her parents before they could leave for lunch.

"So Ronald's already giving you rings?" Her father asked, grinning from ear to ear as he inspected the gift.

"Well, it's just a promise ring." Ron replied, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"It's absolutely gorgeous." Anne said, holding her daughter's hand so she could get a closer look. "Ron, how could you afford all of this?"

It seemed to dawn on Kim just how much money he must have spent over the last few days. "Ron, how much money have you spent?"

He stuck his hands deeper into his pockets. "Not as much as I originally thought I would. I had a long talk with Dad and he let me have some of my Naco money. I had enough left over after taking care of my car to do all this."

Kim looked flabbergasted. "Ron, you can't spend money like this. Don't you remember what happened before?"

He held up his hand. "KP, this time I asked for advice, called in some favors and thought a lot about what I wanted to do. I'm just fine. I've got the same amount in the bank as I did before I started all of this. Plus, this time my Dad helped me find a jeweler who didn't take me to the cleaners."

Kim wrapped her arms around him and gave him a great big kiss right in front of them.

They spent the day running all the gas out of is car, shopping both at the mall and the stores downtown. Once again it was quite late when they parted company. It was even later when she fell asleep looking at the ring, dreaming of the day when she would trade it in for a lighter colored, much harder stone.

All in all, it had been the perfect Valentines, at least until the official day actually got there.

Two big mugs of coffee and an even larger travel mug started having their usual effect long before first period was over and not just making her wired. Normally, she prided herself with being able to hold onto it as long as necessary, but with the diuretic effect of the caffeine combined with the huge volume she had downed, by the end of the class she was grinding her teeth and squirming while she kept her legs crossed.

She was out the door so fast she almost forgot to put her paper in Doctor Snyder's briefcase. The Senior Hall ladies room tended to fill up fast between classes and she wasn't in any mood (or condition) to wait in line. If that were the case, she would be forced to use the boy's room again by 'mistake.'

It was all she could do not to let out a very un-ladylike 'ahhhhhhhh' by the time she got into the stall.

About the time she buttoned her pants she could hear other voices in the room, one of them clearly belonging to Bonnie Rockwaller. She was about to open the stall when she heard the other voice mention her name.

"Well of course not. As long as she's putting out he's going to stay with her no matter what. She may not be in my league but she's still a cheerleader and who knows, maybe he's got a thing for girls built like she is."

"I don't know, Bonnie. I just can't figure her for the type. From what I've been told she didn't even have a boyfriend for all that time. Why would she start doing it with him overnight?" The other voice asked. She sounded familiar but they were speaking in soft tones so it was hard to make out.

"Type doesn't mean anything. She's on the pill, so what does that tell you."

She stood there listening, thinking furiously how Bonnie would know something like that. Only her mother, her female doctor and Ron had ever been let in on that secret. Even her father wasn't aware of it for fear he would misunderstand her reasons for taking them.

"Maybe it's one of those pills they take to help with skin conditions…or maybe she's got other reasons."

Bonnie made a rude noise. "No, I looked it up. The kind she's on is the older ones. The only thing they're for is to keep her from getting pregnant, and why would she be taking them unless they were doing it?"

Kim almost gasped. Bonnie not only knew she was taking them, but the name of the drug as well. That meant some time along the line she had either seen her compact or somehow somebody like the girl at the pharmacy counter had let it slip. None of that made any sense. There were very specific and very strict laws that controlled who had access to her medical records. Even Wade, who had once made a habit of hacking into her online diary, had never delved into those.

"So, if she's doing that, what do you intend to do?"

"This time of year? I haven't got a clue any more. It's not like I can just walk up to him and say 'take me stud' or something. They're probably at their lockers right now talking all lovey-dovey and all that crap. Come on, I don't want to be late. I've got a perfect tardiness record this quarter and I'm not going to ruin it now."

Kim waited until she was sure both girls were gone. The warning bell rang, but she still didn't move, except to sit down on the edge of the toilet. Her mind was going a thousand miles a minute, trying to piece together what she had just heard.

The fact that Bonnie knew she was on birth control and that she wouldn't even listen to the other girl when she'd mentioned precisely the reason she took them was pushed to the back of her mind. Something else took precedence.

Bonnie Rockwaller had designs on Ron.

It hadn't bothered her up to this point that other girls were starting to notice him. He was taller, leaner and starting to fill out more. Ron was also starting to come into his own socially, making more and better friends than he ever had before.

But Bonnie? She hated Ron and seemingly always had. The only interest she had ever shown in him was when he had all that money from his Naco royalties.

The Naco money!

Kim looked at her left hand, at the small emerald shining there, glittering even in the dim light of the stall. Ron had taken some of his money to buy it for her, money he seemed to think wasn't going to affect him in the long run. She covered the ring with her other hand and shivered slightly. Everything he said the previous morning sounded so good, like he was actually starting to learn how to handle his money but in reality all he had done was spend it on gifts for her and what must have been a very expensive trip for the two of them.

Her heart kept telling her to trust him, but her mind couldn't get around those facts. Somehow he had access to a large sum of money…

…and Bonnie knew it.

She couldn't make sense of that. Ron told her everything. He even described in excruciating detail what had gone on between him and Yori while they were in Japan.

Except, something had gone on between him and Bonnie while they were there together, something that he very plainly said the tanned cheerleader had asked him to keep a secret and as far as Kim knew, that was the only secret he kept from her, with constant assurances it did not conflict with the promise she made him make not to keep any secrets that would affect their relationship.

Was he keeping a new Naco Royalties fortune secret from her?

No! That just couldn't happen. Ron loved her every bit as much as she loved him and they were beyond such silliness as worrying about what secrets they kept from each other. If he was suddenly rich again and was out of control, she would have known about it by now. It was just the way his mind worked. He wouldn't have just bought her nice gifts, he would have made a bee-line straight for a car dealer and bought something silly like a monster SUV or useless like a tiny sports car. He would have been decked out in jewelry and wouldn't have had to mention that the high-tech ski suit she had tried on was too expensive. He would have just up and bought it for her.

The tardy bell for second period jerked her back to reality. No, Ron wasn't at fault here. The real enemy was Bonnie. Ron would never stray as long as his mind was clear, but her rival, now in more than just cheerleading, had a way of clouding things. Somehow she had already convinced him she was no longer a danger and if Kim knew the girl, she knew she would use that as a way to get to him.

Just as she opened the stall door, she saw the bathroom door open, admitting Principal Director. Kim stood there for a moment, feeling like some forest animal caught in the onrushing headlights of a speeding delivery truck.

"Isn't it time you were in class, Miss Possible?" There was no easy escape, the woman was standing squarely in front of the door.

"I…I was a little sick to my stomach. Ron brought me some chocolates yesterday and I guess I overdid it." It was true she was queasy and had eaten more of the candy than she should have in one sitting, but the two were mutually exclusive.

"You do look a little green there, Miss Possible. Do you need to see the nurse?"

She shook her head, not taking her eyes off the woman for an instant. "No ma'am. I'm fine now."

"You're certain you weren't talking on your device now? I'm well aware you managed to pull and end run around me on that issue, but class time is not the time to be jawing on it."

"No, Dr. Director. It's not even turned on...I haven't broken my habit of turning it off when I get here yet. I just needed some extra time in here, that's all."

The principal nodded. "Very well then. Get straight to class, but if you still feel sick do not hesitate to go to the nurse. We don't need our students interrupting class every few minutes simply because they didn't have enough sense to know their limits."

"I'm fine. Can I go now?"

Without another word, Principal Director stepped aside, letting her out. There had been no mention of a written excuse, so she was either going to have to convince her teacher of the same thing or take a second tardy for the class this quarter (the previous had been a real bathroom emergency) and she didn't want to end up in detention again.

Halfway to the classroom, she realized she needed to go again and there were no other bathrooms on the way.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	26. Part XXVI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXVI**

* * *

Normally, Kim would have been happy about their current mode of transportation. In the past they had been forced to rely on hot air balloons, pack mules and, as she had mentioned the past Saturday morning, very slow trains. Now they were rocketing east in a Global Justice hoverjet at trans-sonic speeds. True, the vehicles were not the most comfortable in the world, being built for speed and near silence, but they were fast and they would be at their destination relatively quickly. Hopefully the expense of utilizing the transport wouldn't be deducted from whatever their meager 'pay' was going to be as independent contractors (how exactly did that work when they hadn't even signed a 'contract?')

Instead of enjoying the rapid flight, she was sitting in the acceleration lounge holding hands with Ron, thinking furiously what she wanted to say, what she wanted to ask him.

She wasn't anywhere near ready to discuss what she had learned during lunch. The two intervening periods were quite busy and she at least had the ability to focus on the task at hand. They ate in the cafeteria so they could take advantage of the microwave there, warming the expertly sliced skirt steak dish Ron had prepared. Even re-warmed it was delicious and it did help to take her mind off her current worries.

Every time she looked in his eyes she could see the warmth and affection he felt for her. He was still riding high on what had turned into the most fantastic extended date she they had ever been on. She wished she could feel that way too but Bonnie's words to the other girl had spoiled that somewhat for her. They spent the rest of the lunch period sitting quietly in their seats, holding hands and playing footsie under the table, a pass time that lost a little of its fun since they were both wearing hiking boots as it was snowing a little again.

Barkin was already in the Home Ec room as they walked in for the final period of the day. "Possible, a word?"

"Yes Mr. Barkin?"

"I just got a call from Mr. Load. It seems your communications device, your 'Kimmunicator' as it were, isn't on despite the exception you and Stoppable were granted. He wants to talk to you A. S. A. P."

"Oh, I forgot to turn it on. Excuse me." She grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him back out into the hallway.

"What up, Wade?"

"Kim, I've gotten a call from GJ. There's been a break in at…"

"A top-secret lab?" She broke in, as usual.

"Well, it's more of a high-tech manufacturing facility. Kim, it's the place that synthesizes the self-healing fabric your suits are made of."

"Okay, we'll be on our way as soon as class lets out. Later Wade."

"You think this has something to do with the missing suit?" Ron asked as they went back in.

"The thought crossed my mind. It would be an awfully big coincidence if it isn't."

"Stoppable, you have your car here today, don't you?" Barkin bellowed, looming over their desks, resting on his knuckles. Neither of them would call it leaning, since he never did so.

"Yeah, Mr. B. It's not the best thing in snow, but it's a lot better than walking here in the cold."

He pulled two slips of paper out of his jacket pocket. "Here, I want you and Miss Possible here to go pick up some supplies we need for the class. The store I want you to go to is across town, so you can bring them back with you tomorrow since you won't make it back in time for class today."

Kim eyed the big man warily. She scanned the short list. Everything on it could be picked up at the nearby supermarket and they could be back in fifteen minutes if it were not for the place he specified, which would in fact take them more than an hour round trip, not counting how long they would have to spend in there.

It was clear he found a way, at least this once, to get around the prohibition against leaving campus for a mission.

"The principal is going to have a cow." She said, folding the list and sticking it in her pocket.

"What she thinks is my business. I just want those supplies so I can proceed with my lesson objectives tomorrow. Do I make myself clear, Possible?"

"Yes sir." He wasn't smiling or even winking. As far as he was concerned they were simply leaving under his direction. She shouldered into her pack and pulled the stunned Ron out of his seat and headed for the parking lot.

The hoverjet was idling in the field next to her house when they got home. After quickly changing into their traditional gear, plus commando sweaters, they were on their way.

Fifteen minutes into the hour-long flight, Ron finally spoke up. "Something bugging you, KP."

Biting her lower lip she decided to plunge ahead. "Ron, it's about Bonnie. I know you think she deserves to be given a chance, but I don't think that will ever work."

He tensed up slightly, letting go of her hand. "Why? If both of us devoted as much energy into being her friend as you do hating her, she could be as close to us as Mon or Felix."

"Ron, I don't know what went on between the two of you in Japan, but whatever it was, she's just playing an angle. Baby, she's not interested in you as a friend."

"Anything is possible." He said with a hopeful expression.

"No, Ron, it's not. She is always looking for some way to get the better of me and now she's trying to do that through you."

He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not like that."

"Why isn't it like that? What is it that she said to you, what is this big secret she's got you keeping that you can't even share it with me, after promising you wouldn't keep any secrets from me."

"Kim, for one, I never promised not to keep secrets. I promised I wouldn't promise anyone else something that would come between you and me. Like when Monique kissed me, or Yori. That affects us and you were right to make me promise you that."

"This secret_ is_ coming between us." Kim pleaded.

Anger flashed in his eyes. "No…it's…not. What she told me has utterly nothing to do with us. You've got to believe me."

"Ron, she's using whatever it is she's holding over you to drive a wedge between us and the fact you won't tell me what it is isn't helping it."

"Kim." He growled, scowling at her. "I thought you trusted me enough that when I tell you it's nothing about us you would believe me. I guess that's not true then, is it."

"It is true, baby, but I found out something this morning that changes it all. It is about us, believe me."

"Oh, what could she have told you that makes you think I should break a solemn promise?"

Kim shook her head slowly, sinking down in her seat. "She doesn't want you for a friend. She wants you."

"And she told you that? What did you do, say something snarky to her and she came back with that?"

"No Ron." Anger started smoldering in her as well. "I haven't said one word to that witch today. I overheard her talking about me and you to one of her cronies in the bathroom. They didn't even know I was there. She kept going on and on about how impossible it was to get you away from me since we're doing it all the time."

She glanced at the forward compartment. The door to the cockpit remained closed and it was likely the pilot was wearing headphones, but she was still wary of raising her voice too much.

"Wait, Bonnie is still on about us having sex? I told her myself we're waiting until we're older."

"Well, that didn't seem to matter to her. She knows I take Ortho-Novum. Yeah, she even knows the name of the pill I take, but she doesn't know enough about pharmacology to know it's taken for skin conditions and to regulate cycles, so she just thinks I taking it so I can have sex and not get pregnant. In her twisted little mind that just means we're doing it all that time." She caught her breath, realizing she was raising her voice anyway. Then her eyes narrowed, "Just where the hell do _you_ get off telling _her_ about our love life anyway?" she almost screeched at him.

"Because…because we were talking, that's all…and I wanted to clear up all that business that led to _YOU_ smacking her."

"I punched her because she said something horrible about _YOU_, Ron! That's right, the thing you want to make a friend just thinks you're some little puppy dog who follows me around because I let you hump my leg. That sound like friend material, does it huh?"

"She _IS_ my friend. There, you wanted to know what the great big secret is? That's it. We're friends and she asked me to keep that between us. Now, you satisfied? I've broken the promise now, or do you think because I can't keep that kind of promise I'm going to break the one I made to you?"

Kim sat back in her seat again, somewhat deflated. Ron's eyes held a mixture of anger and despair. "KP, I love you so much it hurts sometimes, but for the first time in my life I've got friends besides just you. You're my best friend and my girlfriend and very soon, to the point it's going to seem like it's only tomorrow, you're going to be much more than that, but I have room in my heart for more friends. God knows I need them…and so do you.

"Look at that guy we met the last time we caught Drakken. We spent less than a week around him and virtually every person around him ended up his friend. You and I can't just build a wall around us and say we're all we need in the world. It doesn't work that way and as good as what we have together, that just isn't enough. Do you know how much it hurt all these years being an outsider? How much it hurt when I realized I was actually closer to your parents than I was with mine? Don't get me wrong, I love Mom and Dad but sometimes I thought Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P were much more to me."

"Ronnie, I'm just so afraid that she's just playing you to get to me." Kim pleaded, not willing to let her feelings about the girl go.

Ron looked at his feet. "That may be true and if it is, then I do have one less friend in the world than I thought I did, but at least I'll know in my heart it wasn't for lack of trying on my part."

They rode in silence for the next half hour, neither of them quite wanting to meet the other's eyes. Kim still knew what she had heard and felt in her heart that all Bonnie wanted to do was drive a wedge between them to simply get at her, but that knowledge, that conviction also made her ashamed at herself. Ron's attitude may have seemed naïve, but it revealed just how big a heart he really had and that was one of the many reasons why she loved him the way he did.

How was she going to reconcile this? It wasn't like it was something she could just kick or punch and make it go away.

There was also the fact she really did want to make love to Ron. She had a strong physical desire for him and she wanted to show her love for him that way as well. By the same token, it was that love that stopped her, making her honor the decision they made together to wait. It was only that reason Bonnie was wrong about them. She knew if they ever took that step there was a chance it would open the floodgates the same way their making out had.

Forcing a sort of half smile she put a gloved hand on his forearm. "You know, it's kind of funny. If I wasn't allergic to tetracycline Mom probably would have put me on those newer pills since it was supposed to help my acne."

"Guess Bonnie's not going to end up being a druggist." He responded quietly.

"Pharmacist." She corrected, her smile getting a tad bigger.

Ron scrunched his forehead in thought. "How would Bonnie even know exactly which one you're taking. I knew you were on them, but I had no idea which one. Not that I'd know one from the other anyway."

"I don't know. That's the part that doesn't make sense. I keep a couple spare pills in a vial in my purse just in case we end up on an overnight mission, but they're so tiny it would be hard to tell what they were, and Bonnie's never had a chance to go through my stuff. It stays locked either in my locker or lockers in the dressing room."

"Where do you keep them, Kim?"

"Ron, that's kind of personal, but Bonnie hasn't been in my room since that time we were stuck together and she most def did not find them then."

"Okay, so you said you only keep a couple spares with you, just in case."

"There's only one in there right now. I took one of them in Go City Sunday morning."

"What about a planned trip. I didn't even think about that when I set up the train ride, but if you knew we were planning to be away…"

Kim frowned, trying to think where he was going with that. Then it dawned on her.

"I took them with us to Mt. Middleton, but that doesn't make sense either. I never took the compact out of what I keep it in, I only popped the pills I needed out of it Saturday and Sunday morning and took them with my morning vitamins so nobody would notice…unless…"

She started shaking, her face morphing first into a full blown tweak before blooming into full-blown red-faced fury.

"That _bitch_ went through my stuff!" Kim growled through tightly clenched teeth. "I can't believe her, pawing through my clothes and my underwear like that, she's…" Her voice trailed off to a whisper, her eyes getting big as dinner plates.

"That's where the super-suit was." She breathed.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	27. Part XXVII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXVII**

* * *

Bonnie stood in the middle of Middleton High School's gym, staring at a clock protected by a metal mesh, located just above the scoreboard. Her arms were crossed over her chest, a clear sign she was perturbed since she didn't like hiding what she considered one of her best assets.

"This is so typ. We're supposed to start working on a new routine today and she doesn't even bother showing up." She went back to tapping her foot as the rest of the girls went through some light drills.

"Bonnie, I think they had to leave on a mission or something." Tara offered, picking at the sleeve of her yellow uniform. The slight blonde had been excited when the squad bought the newer outfits with money Bonnie had secured in a fund raiser but she came to associate them with the discomfort she felt during the aforementioned brunette's short-lived tenure as the head cheerleader.

"The she should have had the decency to leave the routine with me or something. It's Valentine's day and I could have been out on a date by now instead of standing here in this smelly gym waiting for her to show up and teach us another routine that went out of fashion when her mother was a cheerleader." Bonnie hissed at her one-time friend.

"I didn't know Dr. Possible was a cheerleader in high school."

"Tara! I don't know either, I'm just saying."

"There's no reason to get snappy about it." Tara sat down on the bottom bleacher, clearly miffed. "So you have a date tonight? You haven't had one in like, forever."

Bonnie almost snarled at her. "I went out on one last week."

Hope sidled up to her. She had arrived with Tara a little later than the younger girls and had been mildly put off that Bonnie ordered that everyone dress out in the yellow outfits instead of their usual purplish blue. "Oh really, then what was his name?"

"Steve, I think. He really wasn't worthy of my remembering his name. That's not important. It was Kim's idea to schedule a new routine today. She doesn't give a naked mole rat's behind that some of us might have lives, that some of us might want to enjoy the day for what it is, that some of us don't take for granted we've got a little puppy dog following us around anywhere."

"Bonnie, Ron is not a puppy dog. He's a really great guy and I wish you could see that." Tara balled her fists in an unusual display of anger. Then her expression softened as she clasped her hands over her heart. "Didn't you hear what he did for Kim over the weekend?"

"Oh, I can imagine." Bonnie's lips curled into a snide smile, though in her imagination she mentally replaced Kim with herself.

"Bet you can't. Ron took Kim all the way to Go City to watch a ballet she'd been dreaming of seeing, then took her to one of the nicest restaurants in the city then the next day brought her a monster box of Valentine's chocolates and you should see the ring he gave her."

"A ring?" Bonnie's voice broke ever so slightly, making her cover her mouth quickly.

"It was so beautiful. I wish Jason would give me one. Or maybe Josh if he wanted to give things another try." Tara dated guys, but was never quite as serious with them as Kim and Ron were with each other.

"The little loser actually proposed?" She felt a little twinge in her chest about calling him that, but there were appearances to be maintained.

"Well what do you know about that?" Danika whispered over her shoulder. "Seems like what you told me this morning is being put to good use after all."

"Shut up Dan." Bonnie growled softly.

Tara was just shaking her head, oblivious to the exchange of the other girls. "No, silly. He gave her an emerald promise ring. It matches those beautiful earrings he gave her for her birthday. Ron's such a romantic. I even heard he brought Kim's Mom flowers!" She sighed, once more wishing one of her potential suitors would take a step like that.

Bonnie stood there fuming. He hands dropped from her chest to her sides as she pictured the two of them, dressed to the nines, partying it up in Go City, then ending the night in each other's arms in some hotel, probably sneaking in a bottle of champagne to celebrate their union. The thought of the two of them together, limbs entwined played over and over again in her minds, to the point she could not longer see her face with Ron, it was all Kim.

Kim Possible. It was always about her. She was the head cheerleader, she was very likely going to be the valedictorian. She was likely going to be named the chairwoman of the Prom Committee the following week and most of all, she had taken the most decent guy on the planet as her lover.

All thoughts that she simply wanted to find another guy just like him disappeared from her mind. There were no other guys like that. When they made Ron Stoppable they broke the mold. It was him she wanted and she wanted to be the one in that hotel room bed, held in his arms. That one brief moment when he had hugged her in Japan took on a whole new meaning. It was no longer the embrace of friendship, it was the embrace of love, a promise of what should be hers.

Snarling so they would not hear any more breaks in her voice she called out to the assembled girls. "Practice is called. We'll pick this up tomorrow when Possible can be bothered to show up." She stalked toward the locker room, hoping the other girls couldn't see the tears welling in her eyes.

Bonnie knew how she was going to fix this. There was a certain little number in black hanging in her closet at home. Ron wanted his Kim, well, she could be ten times what Kim Possible was and she was going to prove it.

* * *

"Ron, she has my super-suit, I just know it." Kim sat back in her seat, looking out the small passenger window, not quite willing to meet his eyes.

They spent less than thirty minutes at the manufacturing facility. There just wasn't much to go on. The security cameras had been remotely shut down and somebody had broken into the main production floor, only to steal about two yards square of the material. Even though the thief apparently knew enough to hack into the computer mainframe to disable the security, they hadn't seemed interested in cracking protected files such as Wade's specifications for the material.

Whoever it had been, they were clearly professional. There was no trace of any fingerprints, no epithelial cells left behind to run the DNA. Even Wade's computer trace of the hack turned into a dead end. It had all been accomplished with a simple lap-top computer that had been reported stolen from a cyber-café early Monday. The thief had simply plugged into the mainframe, entered the proper codes and made off with the bolt of high-tech cloth, leaving the unremarkable and unrevealing portable computer behind. Everyone in the facility who had access to the passwords was completely accounted for, so that seemed to eliminate the notion it was an inside job, though they had not discounted the notion those codes had been passed to the sneak by somebody there.

"KP, that just doesn't make sense. I can get her snooping and finding your pills, but stealing the suit? She doesn't even know how to operate it."

"You didn't either the first time you put one on." She countered.

"Yeah, but I had you right there to tell me what I was doing wrong. When you weren't giggling at me."

That brought a half smile to her face. "I was giggling about you turning both power gloves into something that looked like catcher's mitts, not how it looked on you." Her smile broadened just a tad. "I liked how you looked in the white one."

Ron reddened just a bit. "Well, I guess it's okay if you liked that, but I don't like going out in public like that."

She turned back to the window. "It still makes the most sense. Who knows, maybe she doesn't intend to use it. Maybe she just stuffed it somewhere just to spite me."

"Still doesn't sound like Bonnie. She's not dumb, she knows how valuable something like that is."

"Ron, Baby, you didn't even know how much it was worth."

"I still was thinking somewhere in the thousands. I remember how much some of that stuff cost when I bought it with the first Naco money, I know the high-tech thingies get expensive."

"Ron, about the Naco money. How exactly did you afford all of that?" She pulled off her left glove and straightened her promise ring.

"Just like I told you, I convinced my Dad to let me have some of my trust fund money."

Kim turned around and looked straight at him. "Ron, I know your Dad and I know how both your parents were when they won that settlement with BN. You might have gotten a deal on this ring but it still had to cost hundreds, and you bought that on top of getting balcony seats for a sold-out ballet, dinner and a tip at one of the finest restaurants in Go City and managed to get your car fixed to boot? Ron, please tell me you're not sitting on millions again."

He sat there a moment, chewing on his lower lip.

"Ron?"

"KP, it's like this. When I started adding up how much it would cost to do all this stuff, I went to Dad and begged him to let me have just the interest on my money. Up to that point all I knew was that he was putting three hundred dollars a month in my checking account out of that money as an allowance."

"You sure get a better allowance than I do." She grumped.

"He agreed, saying it was going to be a test on how I handled that money."

"So you went and blew it all on me? Ron, I know you love me but you don't have to prove it like that."

"Let me finish, Kim. I was expecting maybe a few hundred, then I looked at my account and there was a whole lot more in it than that, so, since he said it was a test, I took out just what I needed and gave the whole rest of it back to him to put back. That night we had dinner together with them, I finally asked Dad how much I really had in the trust. It's not a real simple answer, since most of it is tied up in investments, but he said the total worth was estimated to be around a million and a half."

Kim cocked an eyebrow at him. "Please, please tell me you're not going to let that go to your head again."

He shrugged. "I can't. I don't get any of it until I turn twenty-five, or until we get married, whichever comes first…after I'm twenty one." He amended after her eyebrows went up.

Kim reached out and took his hand, stripping his glove off so their flesh could touch. "Do you think you passed his test?"

"He wouldn't tell me. Said I'd have to live with the decisions I made with the money and that it was up to me to decide if I passed. He kind of implied that I should have bought a little better car with it instead of giving almost all of it back, but I think I did the right thing." He slumped just a bit. "Somehow I think if I'd kept all of it, I'd still nickel and dime myself to death inside of six months."

She tightened her grip on his hand. "You did the right thing, Honey. I'm proud of you, even if it's just realizing you weren't ready to handle that kind of money yourself just yet." Getting up from her seat, she sat on his lap. "I wouldn't change anything about this past weekend for the world." She followed that with a long, tender kiss.

When their lips parted she picked up his chin. "I'm sorry I harshed on you about Bonnie. She brings out the worst in me sometimes, but if she does have my suit, we're going to have to deal properly with her about it."

"I know, KP, and I'm sorry about what I said about needing more than just us. I just meant I'd like more people to call friends."

"Don't apologize for that, Ronnie. I knew what you meant, I didn't take it the wrong way."

"What I can't figure is how, if she took it, she knew how to take the trans-locator thingy out of it."

"That's bothering me too, Ron. Hold on, that gives me an idea." She hopped off his lap and pulled out her Kimmunicator. It came right to life but she frowned deeply when she noted the battery meter. This was the same unit that died on her in the blizzard the month before, though Wade checked it out and said nothing was wrong with it. He even replaced the batteries just to be sure.

"Hi, Kim. Didn't expect to hear from you until you got back."

"Just had a thought. Oh, and by the way, the batteries on this thing are way low again."

"Hmmm. Check Ron's."

He pulled his out and checked the meter. "Full charge."

"I must have missed something. I'll take another look at it when you get back. What's your idea?"

"Is there any way you can scan for the missing battle suit if you have a smaller search area?"

"I dunno. It's worth a try. What did you have in mind?"

"Try 334 Matheson Avenue." She pursed her lips.

"Here in Middleton?" He was already typing away at one of his auxiliary stations. Kim nodded furiously in acknowledgement. "Wait, that's the Rockwallers. Kim, do you think Bonnie Rockwaller has your suit?"

"She might. I found out that she might have been going through my things while we were at Wannaweep."

"How did you do that?" he cocked his head at the webcam.

"Personal stuff, just leave it at that, okay?" She responded a little more testily than she intended.

"Okay, chill, Kim." He shook his head. "I'm not getting anything, but that doesn't mean much since the suit is designed to be virtually undetectable. Now if she was actually wearing it and I had a detection grid that small, maybe I could pick it up."

Kim slumped down in her seat. "Thanks for trying Wade. I'll call when we get back."

"Okay, Wade out." The screen winked back to the new 'TP' logo her tech guru recently came up with. Even her website had been redesigned to include much more about Ron and Rufus and that a call to her was a call for the team.

"What's our next move, KP?"

She crossed her arms and leaned back in the acceleration lounge. "I'm going to have to talk to Dr. Director. We don't have enough evidence to confront her directly but at least it should be enough for them to put her under surveillance. Darn it, I fell like my hands are tied dealing with GJ this close." She glanced over at her boyfriend. "You know, afterwards, I'm going to be kind of hungry. Maybe my quasi-millionaire boyfriend could scratch up enough to take me to dinner. It is Valentine's day, you know."

"I think he can manage. Anything you have in mind?"

She got up and sat on his lap again, playing with the hair on the back of his head. "You still need a haircut." She commented. "I'm thinking steak. No fancy linens, no snooty waiters, but some place we can sit down and have a big slab of grilled meat and we can get them to bring our cokes out in those big old beer mugs so we can pretend we're drinking something other than pop."

"I think I know the place, but you better get Wade to whip you up a high-tech boomerang."

"Spankin." She put the thoughts of Bonnie and her missing suit in their proper compartment and shoved them to the back of her mind, focusing instead on the love of her life.

* * *

Bonnie was glad the house was empty as she got home. Her parents were still at work and her sisters she couldn't care less where they were, as long as they weren't there. Still, she locked her door before taking the clothes bag out of her closet. She quickly opened it and laid the black garment out on her bed. Steeling herself, she started stripping out of her tight sweater and slacks. She knew she wasn't Kim, but she was going to pull this off…

…or her name wasn't Bonnie Rockwaller.

* * *

Upperton Colorado, Downtown.

An old fashioned bell type alarm blared in the early evening. The sun was completely down and the moon was not up yet, so it was quite dark.

Three large men dressed entirely in black hurriedly stuffed their booty into the sacks they brought along just for that purpose. Their lookout was so intent on the ragged hole they had torn in the wall he didn't see a shadow attach itself from the dark interior of the high-end home entertainment store.

All three turned to look when the figure was suddenly wreathed in a bright blue glow. One of them pulled a gun but by the time he brought it to bear, there was nobody standing there.

Moments later the gun was sailing away from him, kicked from his hand by the fast moving figure. A few moments after that, all three of them were unconscious.

The slender, feminine figure dusted off her hands as the blue power bands faded to a dull glow before dying out completely.

She melted once again into the shadows as the Upperton Police arrived.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	28. Part XXVIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXVIII**

* * *

Ron brushed a strand of hair out of Kim's face and sat back in the front seat of his little car and looked at her. Valentines Day turned out to be a lot longer day than either of them anticipated and it wasn't over yet. Somehow or another he was able to get her mind off the Bonnie problem over dinner, partly by not bringing it up. In his mind he just couldn't believe that she would actually stoop to stealing the super-suit. The other thing, yeah, he could see that real easily.

It helped that Dr. Director had been able to talk Kim down during a long conversation via his Kimmunicator. The batteries on hers finally winked out on hers only minutes in but his held their own, not even dropping a bar on the meter. That was the performance they were used to out of them – the original unit could go non-stop for a couple days before needing a recharge.

The head of GJ actually took some convincing by Kim to actually consider Bonnie a suspect. It took her actually describing, in excruciatingly embarrassing detail, just how she came to believe that. Seeing the younger woman's distress, Betty Director assured her that such things made no difference to her, especially since she had been married before…twice.

"I can put her under general surveillance, but based on what you've given me, that is about all. We don't have enough evidence yet for a warrant and in this case one would be absolutely necessary."

Kim looked defeated. "Isn't this a case of national security? If she's got the suit…"

"If she does, then she does not present a clear and present danger. We have files on most of the people close to you and nothing in Miss Rockwaller's suggest any kind of capability to utilize such technology, the passive qualities of the garment not withstanding."

Kim's eyebrows seemingly rotated ninety degrees over her eyes. "Grrrrrrrr. So what am I supposed to do, act like none of this ever happened?"

"For now. If you approach her the wrong way she may be prompted to try using it, or simply destroy it…assuming she actually has it."

Kim ended the call, glowering. Sooner or later she had to deal with Bonnie, even if it wasn't about the suit or what she blabbed to the other girl, who she was starting to believe was Danika Foster. The slender blonde was well on her way to becoming the brunette's protégé and that was really beginning to tweak her, especially since Kim was the one to actively campaign for her inclusion in the squad back in the fall.

It was past seven when they landed back at her house, so they simply went to dinner in their mission gear, though it didn't stand out as much considering how dark they kept the steakhouse. Rufus managed to polish off most of their fried onion thing and a whole platter of chili and cheese covered fries (timed by request to keep him away from their plates since they were starving.)

By the time he pulled into Kim's driveway, she was a lot like her usual self, or at least how she had been since they were together. She was a lot less cranky and significantly more understanding of his fears and shortcomings, just as he was more aware of her need to be the one in charge of every aspect of her life.

Kim traced his upper thigh with her fingertips when she noticed he hadn't shut off the engine. "I know we've already had our Valentine's, but it is officially Valentine's day, I'm sure we could get away with a little necking. Might make Daddy's blood pressure go up a bit but I'm sure he won't mind."

Ron leaned over and kissed her, brushing her hair back from the side of her face again. As it got longer, one lock in particular was starting to drop over her nose a lot. To him it looked extremely cute but he knew she didn't like having her hair messed up. More control issues.

"I think that would be badical, KP, but I think I may need to take a rain check on that." He kissed her again, making it that much harder to stick to his guns about what he had to say. "I've got a ton of homework to do and it's already after nine. Just like all the money I'm saving for later, the better I do, the better chance I have of getting to go to school with you for four more years and that means a whole lot more chances for kissing later."

She touched his cheek. "I love you when you think like that."

"I was hoping you loved me all the time." He grinned, touching her face the same way.

"You know I do. I really, really want to do some nice making out, but I don't have a single argument to beat you with. Gimme five minutes, homework boy?"

"Sure KP." He shut the engine off and put the car in gear so the parking brake wouldn't be sticking up between them. His father warned him about 'using the transmission as a kickstand' but the driveway wasn't steep.

It was amazing how quickly five minutes could go by with a single kiss.

"I better go while I still can." His eyes were locked into hers and he wasn't willing to take his arms from around her waist.

"You could always do your work here. You always do well when you're motivated." Kim pressed her forehead against his then kissed him again.

"Except when I've got to write. This is probably all we'll get done, 'specially since you seem more romantic than motivational."

"Aw, Wonnie."

Ron took his fingertip and gently pushed her lower lip back. "No fair using the pout on me KP. I'm serious, I've got to write that paper. I'll make it up to you Friday…I'll even try to get Mom's car."

"Promise?" She batted her eyes at him.

"Anything for you."

"Okay, Baby. Don't stay up too late, I want you to come pick me up a little early tomorrow so we can have breakfast Nacos at BN." She kissed him one more time before getting out of the car. She stood there at the edge of the driveway until his car pulled out of sight.

Ron tried to get his mind to switch gears as easily as his car did with its fresh clutch. He was going to have a hard enough time getting his head in the game where it came to his paper wishing he had stayed with her but no matter how much she helped him with math work or just plain studying, there was something about writing that just plain didn't work unless he was totally alone. Even Rufus would go sleep in his box when he sat down at the computer and fired up the word processor.

The temptation to turn around and spend more quality time with Kim was strong, even though he would be at her doorstep at seven the next morning and spend the greater part of the day with her again. When Bonnie said the two of them were inseparable, she wasn't half kidding. Sometimes he even wondered if it was healthy spending so much time with her. He didn't have a clear definition of co-dependent in his mind though somehow he thought there was likely a picture of him holding hands with her right there beside that definition in a psychology book.

Well, he thought, if being with Kim too much was bad, he'd be a bad boy.

* * *

Kim quickly changed out of her mission gear into one of Ron's jerseys and settled into her desk chair to do her own homework. Most of it was done, but it would have to wait until her Kimmunicator had at least a partial charge until she could download the book report she dictated earlier into the writing software for some final cleaning up.

Some of the lights had been left on, but the house was completely empty. It was early yet, so it was likely everyone else had gone out to dinner and perhaps were taking in a movie or something. For a moment she wished she had put on the full power pout and pretty much forced Ron to come in. No, that wouldn't have been fair. His reasons for going on home were perfectly right and they had been together constantly over the last four days save for three hours at school and overnight. She could live without him for just under ten hours.

Still, as she waited for the batteries to charge she kept pulling up the collar of the shirt and breathing deeply from it. It was the one he left there that afternoon when they changed into their mission gear so his scent was much stronger than the one tucked in her drawer, though repeated washings hadn't completely removed it (she sometimes rotated the ones she actually had her hands on, so it was never completely gone.)

A slight sigh escaped her lips as she put her head down on her arms. The house was empty and she was feeling very romantic. What a night for both of them to have homework due the next day. Maybe later she could send him a slightly dirty IM. There was always the chance that Wade could be listening in but she was used to that. Now, if one of her parents, especially her father happened to be looking over her shoulder…

A warm hand touched her on that shoulder, followed by its twin on the other. They started gently kneading the back of her neck until she craned her neck back to look into deep brown eyes. "Mmmm, Ronnie, that's good."

Not saying a word, Ron walked around front of her, leaning over for a tender kiss. Almost involuntarily she rose out of the chair, into his waiting arms, kissing him furiously. Without breaking contact, he swooped her up into his arms, carrying her toward the bed. Very gently he laid her down, still kissing her. She wrapped her arms around him, offering no protest as he started pulling her shirt up.

"Kim."

Her eyes snapped open. She was still sitting at the desk alone. Well, not entirely alone. Wade was looking at her from the computer monitor.

"Sorry to wake you up Kim."

"What is it, Wade? You just interrupted a very pleasant dream."

"Uh, sorry again. I just got a hit from a high-end electronics store in Upperton, I think you might want to take a look at this." He hit a key and a video feed from a security camera played.

"Okay, so we've got a vigilante ninja." Kim shrugged. "You think the police would be happy for the help."

Wade touched another key. "Watch when I enhance the image."

Kim narrowed her eyes, trying to see what had him so interested. Everyone was wearing black, but the attacker was much smaller than the others and was clearly female, so she was fairly easy to keep track of. The burglars were large men wearing stocking caps but the vigilante was dressed in a skin-tight black outfit with a traditional Ninja hood with her eyes obscured by what looked like either wraparound sunglasses or goggles of some sort. Then she saw it.

The first time the video played, she dismissed it as a trick of the light. The image was quite poor, especially for a store that actually sold equipment that was far better than their own security cameras. Once Wade cleaned it up and she realized what she was looking at, it was rather obvious. There were blue bands on her arms that glowed softly against the matte black of the suit.

It was the missing super-suit.

"Where did that hood come from?" Kim wondered as she watched the clip a third time.

"I didn't think of it at first. I didn't pre-program that into the morphing capabilities since it would extend the material a little too thin, but that just might be the material stolen from the manufacturing facility last night."

"How would she know how to do that?" Kim asked as she scooped up her discarded mission wear from the floor. She mentally winced, realizing she was picking up some really bad habits from Ron.

Wade shrugged. "It's actually not too hard. If you know how to work the controls you could put a bolt of inactive material with the suit and the system will take control and integrate it. Kind of like putting two pieces of silly putty together.

Carefully staying out of frame on the webcam, Kim changed back out of Ron's jersey. She glanced at her closet, thinking this might be a time to wear her own super-suit, but discarded the notion considering the authorities already on the scene might mistake her for the other girl.

Kim sat back down at her computer as she finished pulling her hair out of the sweater. "Is there any way to tell if that's Bonnie?"

"Whoever it is, she's not standing still long enough for me to get any biometrics off the image." He frowned, not liking being so stumped.

"She does move like a cheerleader." Kim said, scowling at the screen as the image kept playing on the full screen. When he spoke, Wade would pop up in his own small window.

"You're the expert there."

She quickly checked her gear. "Okay, I'm on my way. Oh, by the way, Wade, the batteries conked out on my Kimmunicator again. I've got Ron's with me."

"Oh boy. Drop it off tomorrow and I'll take another look at it. Something must be glitching and draining the batteries, though I don't understand how. I went over that thing with a fine tooth comb. Want me to call Ron on his watch Kimmunicator?"

Kim shook her head. "I've got this one. He's got some important homework and this looks just like some comparing notes with the authorities. I'll be fine."

"Okay. I've got a patrol car on its way to pick you up. Give me a call if you need me."

"Thanks Wade." She started to switch off the computer, then remembered her own homework. The unit in the charging dock was showing just one bar on the battery meter. The quick charger should have been finished by now. At least it was enough for her to transfer the file. Hopefully this would go quickly enough she could clean the paper up but if not she was confident it could at least pull a B or a low A.

She pulled her gloves on and headed down the stairs to wait for the police car.

* * *

Ron pulled onto his street licking the last bit of cheese sauce from his fingers. He really wanted a Naco, but the Chimirito was a bit easier to handle while driving, though he was going to have to wipe the grease of the gear shift knob before Kim rode with him in the morning. Even though he was filled to bursting earlier with the large steak he ate at the restaurant, he found his soul needed a little soothing, the way only a little bit of Bueno Nacho could do. Sure, it was a little ways off his 'diet' but what Kim didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Such was his need for 'snackage.'

He parked on the far side of his parent's cars in the double-wide driveway so he wouldn't block them in. True, he was now planning to leave a little before his father so he could have breakfast with Kim, but on the off-chance he overslept he didn't want to hear the old man fussing at him. It wasn't until he walked around his mother's big car he realized somebody was sitting on the front steps.

"Bonnie?" He realized who it was almost immediately, even though her face was buried in her hands. She was wearing a long winter coat that went past her knees, though it was only held together in the front by her elbows as she sat.

She looked up at him and he could tell she had been crying. Tears mixed with a little mascara and eyeliner streaked her face.

"Ron? I think I've done something terrible."

Bonnie sat up, the coat falling open as she did so.

He gulped as he noticed the black outfit she had on under it.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	29. Part XXIX

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXIX**

* * *

Ron swallowed hard. He was accustomed to seeing Kim dressed that way, not Bonnie. The black clothing clung to her every curve and, admittedly, her curves were somewhat…larger than Kim's. 

"Bonnie? What are you doing here?" he finally got out.

"I just needed somebody to talk to, somebody who doesn't judge every word that comes out of my mouth." Her voice was still slightly broken by the sobs. She finally managed to look up at him and noted where his eyes were rooted. Smiling slightly, she pulled her coat shut again, shivering slightly against the cold.

"Come inside, Bonnie, you've got to be freezing." He said, flipping through his keys.

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine, it's okay. If I go inside looking like this people might get the wrong idea."

Ron was still concerned about the temperature. It was only just below freezing since it had remained cloudy all day but at least the snow had stopped. Sitting down on the opposite side of the steps, he pulled a handkerchief from his equipment belt and handed it to her. "What's wrong?"

"Am I a bad person?" She dabbed at her cheeks slightly, then wiped her eyes.

He hesitated a moment and that was not lost on her. "I think you've done some really rotten things, but believe me, I've seen bad, I mean real evil. Believe me, take over the world evil is a whole lot worse than take over the cheer squad evil."

Bonnie laughed just a bit. "So I am evil. Lucky me."

"That's not what I meant. Well, maybe a little. Some of the things you do hurt people, just like what you said about KP this morning."

"What? I barely said two words to K all day."

"Kim…overheard you talking about her. What you told that other girl really hit her hard."

For a moment she looked like someone who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Oh, she heard that?" Bonnie slumped down to her hands again. "Guess you're right, I'm rotten to people. It's just…every time I see her, every time I think about her I get so angry."

"Why? Just because she's good at everything she sets out to do?"

"Well, yeah. I try every bit as hard as she does and it always comes up short. I study until my eyes hurt, she gets better grades than me. I bust my tail on the cheer squad, she still ends up the captain."

Ron shook his head slowly. "Bon-Bon, as my Pap Rokowski used to say when I was little, 'that dog won't hunt.' Kim once handed you the head position on a silver platter and you lasted all of three weeks. Granted, she thought you'd only last two, but in the end you were more than happy to let the girls vote again."

"I guess you're right, but it seemed like everything I did, it was like 'Kim did it this way' and 'Kim did it that way.' I just couldn't take that…and everyone hated me for it."

"Do you know what Brick told Kim back before the two of you started dating?"

Bonnie scowled. Her ex-boyfriend was still a raw spot on her heart. "What, that she was his first choice?"

"No. I think he always liked you better, but when I wrote that stupid, stupid story about Kim thinking he was hot his pride made him ask her out. That's not it. When he told her it wouldn't work out, it's because she was trying too hard. Now, I know Kim wasn't trying at all since she was trying to get a date from Josh back then but that's what everyone thought when you were captain. Believe me, I know what it's like to goon on too much power and that's exactly what you did."

Bonnie pulled her coat tighter around herself, making Ron notice how much she was shivering. "You sure you don't want to come in?"

She shook her head emphatically. "No, dressed like this your 'rents might get the wrong idea about me."

"Does this 'something terrible' have anything to do with that outfit?"

Bonnie held the coat open for a moment, giving him his second look at the tight clothing. "Uh huh."

"So what's the deal?"

She quickly closed the long puffy coat over her exposed legs. "I got this idea in my head that I wanted to be just like Kim. I wanted to go out tonight and be with somebody like the two of you are together. I got so far that I almost went through with it, then I chickened out. I…I think I might have hurt someone."

"What happened?"

"I called this guy I went out with a couple weeks ago, like, I wanted a second date and all since he wasn't a complete disaster. Then I promised him something I shouldn't have."

"Wait, you said just like me and Kim? You mean you still think we…"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah, just like what you two do."

Ron's voice dropped an octave. "Bonnie, I'm just going to say this once. Kim and I aren't like that. We're going to be, eventually, but that hasn't happened yet."

She looked up in confusion. "Then why does she take those things?"

"Because she has some other health reasons, reasons you might have run across if you'd read more than just the main use. Oh, and by the way, how do you know exactly what she takes? I know she's on them, but I don't know the name of it."

She hesitated for just a moment. "I saw her taking them at Gottagrin. I recognized the pill, it's the same one I have."

"Wait just a second, you're going on about how we're doing it and everything and you take the same thing?"

"I said I have them, didn't say I was taking them. Well, I wasn't until this afternoon." Her tone got a little sharper. "I just didn't have the guts to go through with it."

"Bonnie, when you're ready, I'm willing to be you'll have the guts. The one time I really had a chance both of us chickened out."

"But you two are in love. I understand that now. It wasn't that I chickened out, it's that it wasn't what I wanted. I don't love that guy, I don't even think I like him all that well. I want somebody to hold me in their arms because they love me, not because I put on some slutty black dress and strut my stuff right in their face." Fresh tears started rolling down her cheeks again.

"It'll happen…"

"When? When do I get my Ron, when do I get the sweet, gentle guy I want, when do I have my chance instead of Possible?" She almost shrieked the last as she tried to staunch the flow from her eyes.

Ron sat there speechless for a moment. Finally he was able to get the words out. "You like…me? You like-like me?"

"Yes, Ron. I like-like you. I have since we were in Japan. I was just too stupid, too stuck up to realize how good Kim had it until then and it was too late for me. Kim wins again, dammit. She picks you when you were still short and geeky looking, then look what happens. You start growing up and by the time I notice you're turning into a kind of hottie, you're already wrapped up in her, whether you're doing it or not."

"Bonnie, I don't know what to say. A year ago I'd have given anything to hear this but let me tell you something, what I have with Kim goes back way further than anything the two of us would ever have. I've known her since we were four. I've only known you since Junior High and let me tell you, I may not have shown it, but the things you said to me hurt. I'm not talking about calling me a loser and things, I'm talking about the way you belittled me and the way you talked about me to your friends. Then when I realized the only way you would be interested in me was if I was rich, well, they say you make your own bed."

"Yeah, I've made it alright. Some friend I turn out to be, huh, even if it was just being a secret friend."

Ron scooted slightly closer, just enough he could lay his hand on her forearm. "Bonnie, being a friend sometimes takes looking past that kind of thing and staying that way anyway. Besides, I'm not such a good friend myself."

"Huh?"

Taking a deep breath, Ron plunged onwards. "KP and I were kind of having a fight…over you. I once made a promise to her that I wouldn't keep any secrets that would affect our relationship, that I wouldn't make any kind of promise to somebody else that would break that promise. Since Japan, I thought keeping my promise to you was fine with that, but the secret was starting to get between us so I told her we were friends."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed. "You did what?"

"Bon-bon, think about it, what harm is there in letting people know we've buried the hatchet?"

"I'll tell you what harm it is, Stoppable. It means I was right about you all along. You're nothing more than a little doting puppy dog to her. All she has to do is flash that stupid little pout of hers and you do anything." She screamed. "I trust you with one simple little thing and you can't even do that? I was right, you are just a loser and you know what?" She whipped the coat open, showing the short, tight black dress off to him in all its glory. It was smaller even than Kim's little black dress, displaying something his girlfriend just plain wasn't capable of; ample cleavage. That's not where his eyes came to rest. Something even lower drew his eyes.

"Yeah, that's right, Ron, it's that ruby buckle you bought me. You're so pathetic but you want to know the kicker? Up to a few minutes ago you could have had this, all of this." Her words dripped venom. "But no, it's all let's stick it to Bonnie, let's tell everyone her secrets and laugh about them. Probably while the two of you were in bed together, no doubt. Is that what you do on all those long rides? Is that what the two of you did on that oh-so-wonderful trip to Go City? The two of you haven't done it, bull-snap."

She wrapped the coat around herself again. "I hope you're happy, cause you know what? You could have had me as a friend. Hell, you could have had me as a lover and I bet I'd be one hundred sixty percent better than her in the sack but you'll never know now, you little freak." She stomped down the sidewalk as fast as she could with her spike heels, turning down the sidewalk in the general direction of her home.

Ron sat down on the stoop, both puzzled why she would become so upset over something so trivial and ashamed that he had broken his promise to her.

* * *

Bonnie walked down the sidewalk alternately growling and sobbing. Outwardly she looked like she was walking tall and proud. If there was one thing she knew she could do better than Kim Possible it was walking in high heels. The one time she remembered ever seeing her rival in a pair she was wobbling and stumbling ever so slightly. She even wore flats to the Prom, even though she was some six or seven inches shorter than her date. Well, her original date.

Why did she react so strongly when Ron admitted what he'd done? It wasn't like it was such a big deal. So she told him she considered him a friend. What harm could come of other people knowing that now since he was slightly popular?

Some of her growls were directed at herself. It was going so well. He easily bought the lie about how she knew about Kim's pills, as well as the lie about her having them as well. She had also lied about her date that night, having come directly from her home to wait for him, knowing he was usually there on Tuesday nights. If he stayed out with Kim, so be it, she could try this again another night, but she had been ready to do everything in her power to seduce him, convinced just as she had boasted she would be far more impressive than the small-chested, boy-legged redhead.

Then she let her anger get the better of her again. _Stupid, stupid woman_ she thought as she stomped her way home. She could have played that angle to her advantage as well, perhaps even feigning forgiveness and giving him a hug, a move that would have been a prelude to a kiss and, in her own mind, that would easily lead to him taking her out to Logging Camp Road. His taking Kim there was perhaps the worst kept secret in the school and since his parents seemed to be home that was the best place to seal the deal with him. He wouldn't have been able to help it, he was a guy.

"He's probably half way to her house already." She grumbled, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. "What blasted idiot put this holiday smack in the coldest part of winter anyway? How can you wear a sexy dress when it's freaking freezing outside?"

She was almost so caught up in her lonely rant she didn't see the slim figure in a dark, form fitting suit step out from the darkness. The fact she was a small woman alone on the street at night rushed to her in an instant. Even though this was an above average middle-class neighborhood she was aware she probably looked a lot like a streetwalker. Her ninja-training enhanced Karate abilities notwithstanding, she was gripped with fright.

The man that stepped into the light was perhaps five to ten years older than her. The suit was not black, but very dark blue with utility pockets on the breast and legs. Two other men, in slightly lighter colored outfits flanked him and she could sense at least two others behind her as well. In an instant, she was completely boxed in.

Feeling she had nothing else to lose, she dropped into a fighting stance even though the jacket and the tight dress restricted her movement somewhat.

"Bonne Delia Rockwaller?" The dark haired man asked, standing squarely in front of her in a display of posture so good it had to be uncomfortable.

"Nobody…ever...calls…me…that!" She growled through clenched teeth.

"No matter. Miss Rockwaller, I am agent Will Du of Global Justice. You are under arrest for grand theft."

Her arms went totally limp in shock as the Asian looking man read her Miranda rights. At least one of the men behind her roughly took her arms, clamping cuffs on behind her back.

Bonnie's senses started coming back as they not-too-gently guided her to a black van parked around the corner. "Possible, I know you're behind this! Show your face! You did this to me!" She shrieked as the pushed her inside.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	30. Part XXX

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXX**

* * *

Ron sat in his car just about a block from Kim's house, letting the engine idle. He was shaken both by his encounter with Bonnie and a very vivid and disturbing dream.

It was just like one he had earlier in the winter, one he had originally forgotten pretty much the moment he woke up. That is, until he had it again, this time stamping it clearly in his memory. How he had managed to wake up without screaming, he had no idea.

The dream was almost the same. The most important detail, the one that was rocking him to his core was that something, some unknown event had wrecked his romance with Kim. She had left him and sought solace in someone else's arms but that was not the worst of it.

He had no idea what that event was but one thing was clear…

…the breakup had been his fault.

The one detail of the dream that was different this time…it was Bonnie Rockwaller helping him with his tie instead of his mother. After the encounter about ten the night before, the very thought made him almost physically ill.

How could he choose Bonnie over Kim? The only reason he had ever considered anything other than friendship with her was that she was a hottie and once he hooked up with Kim it became crystal clear to him that all the other reasons outweighed that to the point of ridiculousness. He spent most of the morning playing the dream over and over in his mind, searching for some clue about what had happened.

The only conclusion he could come to was his mind playing tricks on him. He thought he was past all the fear and paranoia but somehow it was getting into his brain, showing him a future he feared most. He would have to go on, taking it as a warning, doing whatever he had to so that future wouldn't become his reality.

One thing he was certain of. Whether Bonnie deserved it or not, the strife between the two young women was coming between them. That couldn't go on, not since his future with Kim was the most important thing in his life. She hated the other cheerleader, he had to accept that and Bonnie, for whatever reason, hated her back. There was too much emotion invested by both parties and that forced him to choose. It wasn't even really a choice. All he could do now was put a silent hope in the back of his mind they would eventually get past this but for now he would have to get Kim's back. If that meant further destroying the tenuous bond of friendship then he would have to deal with the sadness that brought with it.

He sighed heavily as he put the car in gear. He was seventeen. This was supposed to be a happy time in his life and why shouldn't it be? Where everyone had once called him a loser he had the love of the only woman he had ever truly felt that way about. He had more than a good chance of getting into a prestigious school and even failing that, he would have enough money one day to live comfortably, college diploma or not, if he was careful and wise. He had even cast aside the stigma of being a social outcast and for the first time in his life he could count more than just his girlfriend and Rufus as his friends.

Why then did he feel like he had failed at something?

Nine hours earlier he had felt so grown up, making a choice to do what was right instead of what simply felt good at the moment. Now he wasn't so sure. The fear in his heart cried out for him to run away screaming but this wasn't like some mechanical beast or scary thug he could just flee from. Steeling himself, he opened the door and walked down the sidewalk to the front door as if he were some kind of automaton. Purely on autopilot he let himself in and walked into the kitchen.

Somewhere he had once read that the only way out was through. The right choice was to simply come out and tell Kim everything. At least he was confident that in their love for one another they would find the answers he needed.

Kim's parents looked up from the breakfast nook as if they were actually surprised to see him. "Um, good morning, Ronald." James said after a long look at his wife.

"Kim not down yet? She wanted me to pick her up early so we could go to breakfast."

"No. Kim never came home last night." He put his paper down, a look of concern growing on his face.

"That can't be right. I dropped her off a little after nine last night."

That prompted the two elder Possibles to look at each other meaningfully again. "We got home with the boys about ten and she wasn't here. We thought for sure she was with you. I thought I was going to have to have a long talk with her about staying out all night, even though I don't set a curfew for her any more."

Ron's hand went automatically to his left cargo pocket before he realized he loaned her his Kimmunicator the night before on the ride home from the mission. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

Mounting the stairs two and three at a time, he was up in Kim's room in a flash. The bed hadn't been slept in and apparently Kim's mother hadn't been up there to tidy up yet. One of his jerseys and a pair of gym shorts were lying in a pile beside her changing screen. The mission clothes she had been wearing were nowhere to be seen.

That made him look at the desk. Her royal blue Kimmunicator was sitting in its charging dock, the battery finally reading full. He didn't trust the thing, especially since it had mysteriously failed twice now. Still, he knew a lot better how to work it than the backup in his watch, which he wasn't wearing anyway since he had the one Kim had given him on.

Thinking of a better solution, he stuffed it into his pocket and started her computer terminal. He touched a special key and waited a second. He about jumped out of his chair when the Kimmunicator in his pocket started going off. Cursing himself, he punched up the code for his.

Kim's face appeared immediately on the screen. She had huge circles under her eyes and was still wearing her black sweater. "Hey Wade I…Ron?"

"Kim, where are you?"

"What time…" She looked at her watch. "Oh man, it's seven already? I meant to call you first thing when you got up."

"Where are you?" He repeated.

She yawned slightly. "I'm at GJ headquarters. Better come on down, I'll explain all this when you get here."

"What's going on, KP?"

Kim shook her head. "Just go to the tube way entrance. You can be down here in a couple minutes, okay Baby?"

"Alright. I'm on my way."

"Ronnie?"

"Yeah, Babe?"

"I love you."

"Love you too, KP. See you in a minute."

She cut the link on her end. Glancing around the room as if there were anything else he needed, he headed down the stairs. He took just a second to tell her parents she had been called away on a mission, apparently just after he dropped her off then headed out the door.

He went to the place where they had been sucked into the transport tubes before, trying to spot the hidden seams in the sidewalk. He stood there a couple minutes before his Kimmunicator beeped.

"Mister Stoppable, step about five feet to your left." An unseen voice instructed him. Moments later, the capsule was opening at the main control center. True to Kim's word, it actually took him longer to get to the entrance than it took to go the rest of the way.

Kim was waiting for him at the tubes. Before he could say anything she grabbed him in a fierce hug.

"What's going on, KP?"

She looked around and exchanged a glance with Dr. Director before taking his hand. She led him into a small conference room and closed the door behind them. She silenced him once again grabbing him for a long, fierce kiss.

"Uh, Kim, I'm sure you didn't bring me down here for a bunch of necking."

That forced a slight smile from her as she sat down in one of the plush chairs, guiding him into one right beside her. The chairs were on swivels, so they turned to face each other, Kim taking both of his hands.

"Sorry, Ron, I just needed to do that all night."

"KP?"

She let out a breath. "To quote Dr. Director, the waste matter has hit the oscillating wind generator."

"Huh?"

"It hit the fan, baby. Not long after you dropped me off, I got called away on a mission."

He looked distraught. "You didn't call me?"

Kim shook her head. "It was just a fact finder and I knew you needed to go home and do your homework. Don't worry, Honey, there hasn't been any fighting."

"Then why have you been here all night?"

She turned toward a console built into the table. The surveillance video from the interrupted robbery played, having been even further cleaned up during the night.

"That's the super-suit, isn't it?"

Kim just nodded. "Apparently, somebody is using it either to frame me or they're trying to be like me. Did you notice anything about the person in the video?"

He watched it again, shaking his head as it finished. "I don't see anything. What am I looking for?"

"Watch how the girl moves, how she fights."

Slowly it dawned on him. "She moves like you."

"No, not exactly like me. She's using cheerleading moves but she's not using any particular fighting style. She's relying on the speed and strength enhancements of the suit to beat those guys."

"You don't think that's Bonnie, do you?"

Kim looked away for a moment and drew in a breath. "Ron, GJ arrested Bonnie last night for stealing the suit."

His mouth hung open for a moment. It started working up and down as he tried to speak. Finally he got the words out. "That's not Bonnie."

Kim frowned and looked down. "Honey, I know you've tried to stick up for her but she's the only one who could have stolen the suit. She even tried to say she was coming from your house when they arrested her."

"Kim, this isn't about sticking up for her. That's done. She was coming from my house last night. Bonnie was waiting for me there when I got home."

"She was?" Kim looked up at him, fear showing in her eyes.

"We sat on the porch for a few minutes. She wanted to talk to me after leaving a bad date and she told me a few things." He swallowed. "Then I told her that I broke my promise to her and she blew up at me before storming off."

Kim's frown got even deeper. "She told you some things?"

"Yeah, about how she knew what prescription you're taking and all. She just saw you taking them and recognized them; she never went through your things."

She opened one of the smaller pouches on her belt and pulled out a tiny clear bottle, setting it on the table. Inside was a single peach colored pill. "Ron, you have to be right on top of that pill to see the embossed marking and I took it with two big multivitamin pills, alone in the bathroom. She didn't see me taking it. This is very private for me, that's why I've never even shown you this before. I'm very careful about this and there's no way she saw me take it."

"She lied to me?"

Kim nodded very slowly. "From what I've heard from the GJ agents watching her, she lied about the date too. She somehow gave them the slip with just enough time for her to get to Upperton, then get back here. They didn't pick up her trail again until you-know-who grabbed her."

Ron tried desperately to think. He could feel his anger swelling from the lie but he still wasn't convinced Bonnie was responsible for the theft. There remained another reason he was convinced it was not her he was seeing on the video.

"That's still not her." He pointed to the figure frozen on the small screen.

"How can you tell?" Kim wondered.

"For one thing, I've seen how Bonnie fights. She might not have the mad fu skills you do but she is a black-belt in Karate. That girl doesn't know the first thing about fighting, and I don't think she would hold back going up against three thugs like that. If she were intent on framing you, she would have done a lot better job of it. There's also another thing."

"Oh?"

"KP, have you noticed I can't take my eyes off you when you're wearing one of those things?"

She actually blushed slightly, nodding.

"They fit like a second skin and I know from personal experience they only look tight. That can't be Bonnie cause she's just not, er…" He made a slightly embarrassed face and cupped his hands in front of his chest.

Kim cocked her head to the side, and then touched another control, sending the video to one of the large screens dominating the wall. She watched it twice, slowing it and pausing it twice the second time through.

"Why didn't I see that?" She wondered as the screen finally went blank. She turned toward the table and put her chin down on her arms. "I can't believe I didn't see that."

"It's a guy thing?" He held up his hands in a classic 'I dunno' pose.

She turned her head toward Ron. "This is so not good. I was so sure that was Bonnie and the moment I said so Dr. Director gave the word to have her arrested."

"And I gave the word to have her released." Betty Director said, putting a large mug of coffee in front of both of them. Ron wondered for a moment exactly how she knew he liked milk and sugar in his while Kim took hers black, then mentally chided himself. GJ knew almost everything there was to know about them and he had once even given them his blessing.

"Released? So you've identified who this is." Kim pointed at the blank screen.

"No, but about an hour after we had Miss Rockwaller picked up, the vigilante struck again. We didn't get the word from the Lowerton Police until about an hour and a half ago but once we were convinced it was the same person there was no choice."

Kim put her hands on top of her head as if to hold both halves of it together. "I am so toast."

Dr. Director put a hand on her shoulder. "I am going to take full responsibility for this matter. I just got done speaking to her parents and they understand the national and global security issues at stake. Your involvement in this was never mentioned. They are not planning legal action against you."

Ron put his hand over Kim's and she gripped it tightly. "It doesn't matter. Bonnie's going to blame me."

The older woman shook her head. "I'm afraid I cannot help you there. At least you will each have a day to cool down. I just got off the phone with Wilma. She wasn't the least bit happy about it, but the three of you have been excused from school for the day. I already have people delivering your schoolwork."

Ron piped up. "Uh, mine's in my car, back at Kim's house."

Betty let out a slight laugh. "That's already being taken care of. Don't worry, Ron, you things are being treated with the utmost respect."

He kept holding her hand as they walked back to the bank of travel tubes. He started to speak as they stepped inside but the roar of air shooting them upwards and away drowned him out. It wasn't until they popped out on the sidewalk near her house he could speak again.

"KP, we need to talk."

She let go of his hand and turned to him with a look of utter shock on her face. "Ron?"

"Oh no, please lord no, I can't believe I said that? Sheesh, I'm doing it anyway." He pounded his head with his fist.

Kim gently grabbed his arm to keep him from giving himself a splitting headache. "Okay, I get it, just a slip of the tongue. Let's go inside and talk, alright?" She took his hand again and gently twined her fingers with his.

Both her parents were already gone for the day so they had complete privacy to talk. Kim changed back into her night-clothes, making Ron grin when she came out from behind the screen wearing his jersey and a pair of gym shorts, though the latter wasn't totally necessary since the top was long enough to be considered a short skirt on her.

The sat Indian-style on the foot of her bed, facing each other, holding hands. Beginning hesitantly, Ron told her about the two dreams in as much detail as he could remember. By the time he was done, tears were freely running down his cheeks. Then he told her about his encounter with Bonnie.

"I still can't get it through my head she like-liked me, at least until last night."

Kim put her hands on his knees and gave them a good squeeze. "I think we were both right and both wrong about Bonnie."

"I'm so sorry, KP, you were right, she was playing me to get to me. I just couldn't see that."

"I'm sorry too, Ronnie. It was ferociously uncool for me to blame you for trying to be a friend to her. That's what makes you such a good man." She put her hand on his cheek. "Believe me, I don't think you are capable of doing something so stupid it would wreck what we have. It was just a dream. You took things that make you afraid and things that upset you and mixed them together in your subconscious. We're just plain human beings and it's okay to be afraid sometimes, but we can't really see the future. Not in dreams. If that were true…" She smiled broadly, leaning closer to whisper to him, "…remember the dreams we both had the night after our first date?"

"You mean that's not coming true?" He looked genuinely stricken.

"Eventually, but in that dream you hadn't started growing again. When it does happen, you'll be a full-grown man. Baby, if I could see the future in my dreams, I'd know what my wedding dress is going to look like. I'd know you were going to be wearing glasses full time and you'd be wearing a stupid little goatee." She traced the shape of a small beard on his face with her fingertip. "I'd know we were going to have a son who looks a heck of a lot like you but with Dad's nose and he'd be marrying a tiny little brunette with big blue eyes and really long brown hair. See what I mean? We just take funny little details in our lives and mix them up in our head and they come out in dreams."

Kim held up her left hand and straightened her ring. Except to shower she hadn't taken it off since he had given it to her, even for missions since it was protected inside her glove. "When you gave this to me, you said it was a promise ring. Well here's my promise. When we turn eighteen and you ask me to be your wife, I promise I'm going to say yes. We are going to spend the rest of our lives together and nobody is going to change that."

She reached behind his head and pulled him toward her. The kiss started gently but quickly grew in intensity, in passion until they both found themselves locked in the tightest embrace they could remember. She pushed him down, throwing a leg over his.

A wide grin spread across her face as he kissed her neck. His wrested were crossed around her back and she reveled in the feeling of his body against hers. That is, until a certain twinge started making itself known. Sitting back up, she frowned.

"What's wrong, Kim? I wasn't getting out of control, really."

Chuckling slightly, she got up and pulled him up with her, wrapping her arms around him for another kiss. "Nothing's wrong, I just had five cups of coffee since midnight and guess where I haven't been in all that time?"

"Oh. I'll be right here waiting when you get back." He grinned at her before going back to work on her neck."

"No, how about you're waiting for me in the kitchen. You still owe me breakfast, then we can sit in the den watching movies until all this caffeine in me wears off so I can catch up on some sleep."

They started for the stairs. "So what do you want?"

"Surprise me…but no coffee." She said as she bolted for her bathroom.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	31. Part XXXI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXI**

* * *

Somehow they made it to the end of February unscathed. When they all returned to school the following Thursday, Bonnie acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She arrived at cheer practice and took up the new routine after offering her normal complaints about it not being enough to win the regionals. Kim had long ago given up explaining they stood a better chance at competitions if half the squad wasn't sitting in the bleachers with casts on. She simply stuck to her guns until the other gave up and started the routine.

Kim only got about an hour's nap during the day after her all-nighter at GJ, though it wasn't from being wired up on the coffee. Up to the point her brothers got home from school, they spent their time just holding hands and talking. Strangely enough, for some reason they didn't dwell on the Bonnie sitch or Ron's dreams. As far as the latter was concerned, once it was out in the open between them it needed no further discussion. The dreams had been stripped of their power, as if the thing, the event that potentially caused all the heartache was simply never opening up to her about it.

They settled back into the routine they so loved. Monday nights were pizza night. Tuesdays they still spent the afternoon at Ron's house, though they actually studied and did homework together since his parents no longer went to Denver, preferring instead to see a local doctor. Friday and Saturday nights went back to being their regular date nights with Saturday being dress-up dates that where they usually ended up going dancing.

One afternoon in early March as Kim was sitting in the girls locker room lacing her hiking boots on after practice Tara emerged from the shower, sitting down beside her still wrapped in a large towel. The other girls had already left but Kim to go over upcoming cheer camp plans with the gym teacher charged with faculty oversight of the squad. She was feeling a bit yucky herself since the weather had turned warm early but she preferred going home to shower, especially since Ron was taking her out to a movie that evening.

"Kim, what is Ron really like?"

She smiled softly. "Tara, pretty much what you see is what you get."

"I mean, when the two of you are alone. Is he sweet and gentle or is he…I don't know, more forceful or anything?"

"More forceful? I don't get it. I don't think he could be forceful about anything."

"So you always take the initiative?"

"Huh? I dunno. I guess we both kind of do. Maybe me a little more than him." Kim allowed herself a small smile, hoping the movie would be a little boring. The new theater out near the interstate had the newer 'stadium-style' seats with the high-backed cushions and the fold-up armrest/drink holders. If the theater wasn't crowded they could sit in the back row, right under the projector window and enjoy the movie or each other's company, depending on which was more entertaining at the time.

The look wasn't lost on the blonde. "What's he like when he makes the first move?"

Kim's smile got a little wider. "He'll usually touch my face or my ear." She pulled her hair back from her left ear, which was usually obscured by her long hair. Thinking about it, she reached into her backpack for a scrunchie, pulling the whole thing into a loose ponytail from the base of her skull. The early taste of spring wouldn't last, it never did this time of the year, and she wanted to stay a bit more comfortable, especially since her hair now hung to the middle of her back instead of just between her shoulders. "He's got this funny little habit. When he pulls me in for a kiss, he'll touch my neck first right here." She put her finger right below her hairline. "He doesn't do it so much any more, but when we first started dating he would do it all the time. He thought he was covering it up by putting his whole hand on the back of my neck, but I figured out what he was doing."

Tara just cocked her head sideways in puzzlement.

"Okay, remember last year when they had the Middleton Days Festival."

"Uh huh."

"Remember that thing that got on my neck that made me act like I was in love with Ron."

"Oh, so he was checking to see if anything was back there?"

Kim nodded. "Maybe the first couple times, but like I said, it became a habit and instead of letting it bother me I just put it down to one of his cute little quirks."

Her friend leaned a little closer. "So, what kind of cute little quirks does he have when you…you know?"

"I know what…Tara!"

"Okay, Kim, I get it, you're embarrassed to talk about that. That's okay." She waved her hand almost dismissively.

"No, I'm not embarrassed to talk about it, there's nothing to talk about."

Tara frowned. "I thought by now…"

Kim shook her head emphatically. "We've decided to wait. We haven't decided how long, but it's at least going to be until we're eighteen."

She leaned in close again. "Haven't you been tempted."

Kim chuckled slightly. "More than a little. Just going to make it better when we're done waiting."

"Have you at least seen him?" Tara whispered secretively.

"Not really." She went on when she realized that was only confusing. "Back before we were together, when we were sophomores I…let's just say there was a sitch where I had to dress him."

The petite cheerleader gasped slightly. "What happened?"

Kim looked around the room to make sure nobody else was there to hear them. "Do you remember the cheer regionals that year?"

"Yeah, who can forget. You wigged out and Ron had to take your place. If he wasn't an official part of the team as a mascot, we would have been disqualified."

"Tara, this can't go beyond this room. That wasn't Ron. It was me."

If the girl hadn't been confused before, she sure was now.

"Wait, so that means who we thought was you was Ron?" She waited until the redhead indicated she was correct. "So somehow something made you look like Ron and Ron look like you?"

"Not so much. We got our brains switched by Doctor Drakken."

Tara tried to get her own brain around that and found she couldn't, deciding it was just another one of the strange things that happened routinely to her friend. Instead she got a sly little smile. "So?"

"So what?"

"So, did you check him out while you were alone?"

Kim made a slightly rude noise. "So not. I didn't see anything more that what I absolutely had to."

"Kim." Tara tilted her head down and looked up.

"Tara! I wasn't interested in Ron that way then." She turned slightly red.

"Why not. I was back then. Still would be if you hadn't figured it out. Come on, just between us girls."

Kim gave up. "Okay, just between us…and no sidelong glances at him later and you've got to realize, he's done a lot of growing and growing up since then."

"Stalling." Tara sing songed.

"Okay, okay." She bit her lower lip ever so slightly and took a breath. "He's most def a natural blonde and…" Gritting her teeth she held her hand out, palm up. "He's got big hands and feet."

Tara balled up her fists under her hands and lightly stamped her feet, all the while grinning wickedly. "I knew it." Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "You say he's grown since then?"

In response Kim just held her hand a couple inches above her head. She wasn't about to add what she could tell when he was wearing something revealing like his white super-suit or when there was a 'is that Rufus in your pocket or are you just glad to see me' moment.

"What do you think your first time will be like?"

Kim leaned back on her palms, sighing. "I've got a few fantasies. Some of them are sweet and romantic…some of them are a little dirty." She added with a wicked smile of her own.

"What's your favorite?"

"It's not real specific. We'll be completely alone. Maybe some candles. Knowing how things go for us, I can't even being to imagine where that might be."

"Just so long as it's not in the back seat of a car or some nasty motel room." Tara said.

"Okay, you've heard about me, what about you?"

She cast her bright blue eyes at the ceiling. "For me it's always been the same. I'm being carried across the threshold in my wedding dress. I make him wait in the bathroom while I change into something special."

"You're gonna wait for your wedding night?"

"Uh huh. Why not, imagine how wonderful it will be, how special. Imagine what all that waiting will do to him?" She finished with yet another sly grin.

"Yeah, that does sound nice. Just don't know if we can manage to last that long." Kim mused.

"Listen, Kim. Blind people living under a rock a thousand miles away from here know you love Ron. That's why I don't feel bad when I flirt with him. It's fun, he appreciates it and I know it's not to hurt either one of you. Remember how you were that short time he was away and how things were for you when he got back? Well, think about the other thing. Imagine if you wait until the two of you get married how it's going to be then."

"Oh, and what if we run off and elope the moment Ron turns eighteen?"

Tara just shook her head, getting and patting the rest of the water out of her hair which immediately fell back into broad waves. "I just can't picture the two of you doing that. You're too tight with the fam. Myself, I'm thinking maybe twenty-five, sooner if the fit is right."

Kim sat back on the circular seat in the middle of the locker room. "There's another one of those things I can't see us waiting that long for. Maybe sometime in college, maybe right after." She frowned slightly, worried about Ron's future. His final attempt at the SAT was just over a week away. It was supposed to be the weekend she went to Temple with him but this once they both were going to miss that. She tried telling herself that whatever happened, their future together was set but it would be so spankin' if he could go with her to Middleton College, whether they ever had a single class together or not.

"Kim, there's something else I wanted to ask you about."

"Shoot."

"What does it feel like when you do those things you do?"

"The things I do? Tara, I just told you Ron and I weren't…"

"No, not that. I mean the missions and stuff. Sometimes I think it would be so cool to be able to haul off and smack some bad guy." She mock-punched the air, almost losing her towel.

"It's all kinds of things. Sometimes it's scary. I don't mean 'boo' scary I mean 'these people could really kill me' scary and it's not the super-freaks that scare me the most, it's your run-of-the-mill thug with a gun. The baddies like Doctor Drakken always had some elaborate scheme to do Ron and me in but in the end, I don't wear any kind of body armor, so all it would take is one crazy and one bullet. The rest of the time, going in it's kind of a rush. Remember our Junior year ski trip when I took you up to Devil's Drop? When we jumped off the edge, that moment when we were just falling before our boards bit in, that's the kind of rush I'm talking about. The best part, though, is when we're done and we know we've helped people."

"I really wish I could do that." Tara mused as she brushed out her hair.

"It's harder than it looks. I've got gifts that let me do a lot of things most people can't do and I've been at it since I was twelve, though the real rough stuff didn't start until I was fourteen. You ever do any kind of martial arts training?"

"Only that self-defense course Bonnie talked me into." She started giggling. "It was so funny watching Bonnie take the instructor down every time. I think she was a brown belt then but the class wasn't for her benefit, it was for me."

That gave Kim slight pause. Bonnie had actually done something good for a friend. Maybe she was just showing off a little bit, but those courses could do a girl a world of good, especially when that girl is a petite and trusting type like Tara.

Tara started getting dressed. It was clear why she had showered at the gym as she was putting on a nice spring dress. It was so warm Kim was wearing her new green top. It was the same color as the ones she used to wear almost constantly but it zipped up the front and had a collar, though it still left her arms and midriff bare.

"Hot date tonight?" Kim finally asked as her friend finished dressing.

"I hope so. It's a college guy." Tara mock-whispered across the room.

"Oh, well, that's a switch. I thought you liked to know guys before you went out with them." Kim finished packing her things into her backpack and stood up to go."

"Didn't say I don't know him. You know him too."

"I do?" Kim giggled, enjoying the girl-talk. Monique had reached the stage with her boyfriend that everything out of her mouth was 'Felix this' and 'Felix that.' _Was I ever that way with Ron? Nah, we've been friends so long we must have skipped that part._ "So who is the lucky guy?"

"You'll see." She said, shutting her locker and heading for the door.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	32. Part XXXII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXII**

* * *

If his mind wasn't otherwise occupied Ron would have been wondering what was taking Kim so long. With the exception of getting ready for a dress-up date, she was a confirmed master of quick changes and he suspected the only reason she took so long making herself 'special' (she was always pretty) was that she spent most of that time staring at her closet trying to figure out what to wear. (He was so right.)

In English his assignment was to pick out a novel and prepare a report on it so, feeling industrious, he borrowed Kim's copy of _Battlefield Earth_ and dug in, confident he would know what was going on since he saw the movie. He didn't get far before realizing just how different that snaptacular piece of cinematic traife really was. At least by that point he was really into the story, though he had to ask the teacher for an extension on the project since the book was really, really long. That request was granted after having a short discussion with her about what he had covered to that point and preparing a short report on it on the original due date for the complete report. She was impressed that he was enjoying the assignment so much and even more so he turned in A quality work.

He didn't mention he had read Kim's reports but since she had trusted him with them, he actually did his own work instead of copying them. He let her read the report first and she was very pleased with it (after scribbling a couple corrections on it.)

"Ron?"

Looking up he gave a little start. He recognized the voice right off the bat but it took a moment for him to reconcile the image. He was expecting frosted hair but in the intervening months since he had last seen the owner of that voice he had let the colored part grow out and had it cut off, leaving his whole close-cropped coif light brown.

"Josh? Dude, it's been like forever." He rose from his seat on the bleachers taking the proffered

hand.

"Good lord, Ron, I almost didn't recognize you." For the first time the two young men stood almost eye to eye. Mankey still had a little edge on him height wise but the two of them had just about the same build, with Ron being a tad broader across the shoulders.

"Yeah, I got a little bit of a late growth spurt. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to college in Cali."

"I transferred to Upperton U a couple months ago. Dad's health isn't good so I thought it'd be better being closer to home, plus the art program I was in pretty much sucked. Still hooked up with Kim?"

"Oh yeah." He smiled broadly. "So, you around to see the old campus?"

"Actually, I'm picking up my date. She's supposed to be ready by now, but you know how girls are."

"Yeah, they tend to take a while getting dressed. Hey, Josh, I think Tara's still around. Bet she'd be happy to see you."

Josh sat down on the bleachers, stretching out his arms. "I hope so, I'm taking her to dinner and a movie tonight."

"Oh cool, the two of you getting back together?"

He looked a little pensive. "Maybe. She's not dating Jason Morgan any more, so I'm hoping we can hit it off again. I think the only reason she started going out with him was because Rockwaller was pressuring her to find somebody a little higher on her precious 'food chain.'"

"Tell me about it. Hey, I've got an idea. Kim and I are doing the same thing, how about we team up?"

"A double date? You sure that's wise. Kim might feel a little 'awk-weird.'"

"Nah, Kim and me are tight. She'll probably be glad to catch up with you." He sat down beside Josh, putting away his book.

"Cool. So what have you been up to?"

Ron leaned back against the bleacher. "Same ole, same ole."

"Barkin still raggin' on ya?"

He curled up his nose a bit. "Barkin's still Barkin, but he's actually gotten pretty cool since my grades started improving. He won't admit it, but I think he's kind of proud of the old Ronster."

"Yeah, toe the line with him and he'll move on to torturing somebody else. Bet he still has Big Mike, Lenny and Junior in detention as we speak."

"Yup. I wonder what it is those guys do to stay in there that hasn't gotten them suspended or expelled yet. Lenny's actually a pretty good student."

Josh shrugged. "I guess some people are just born to battle."

"Yeah, like Kim and Bonnie." Ron said.

"Those two still at it? Sheesh, you think they would have outgrown all that crap by now."

It was Ron's turn to shrug. "I don't think Bonnie's going to improve until she gets away from that posse of hers. She's been alright the last couple of weeks."

"Long as it isn't the calm before the storm. Hey, been meaning to apologize to you."

"'Bout what? We didn't exactly travel in the same circles, you know."

Josh sat up, leaning on his knees. "Last year, when Brick, Walter and me were teasing you about that underwear you had."

"Oh, that? We got over that pretty quick. Now it just seems pretty funny." Ron waved his hand dismissively.

"No, I mean what I said about Kim. It hadn't been that long since Tara dumped me and I was just lashing out. Kim and I…we never really had too much of a spark but I still was real interested in her. I had no business saying the two of you would drift apart like we did. I'm not usually that snarky except with professors who overly criticize my work."

Ron shook his head. "Don't worry about it Dude. Like I said, me and Kim, we're tight. Plus she thinks I'm a badical kisser."

Josh chuckled softly. "I think I did more kissing with Tara on our first date than I did the whole time I knew Kim. I almost can't imagine her kissing anybody."

Ron stretched his own arms out, a dreamy expression on his face. "Oh, she kisses alright."

"What's that word you use?" Josh asked, looking back at him.

"Ah, boo-yah." Ron said softly. He sat up and pointed to the locker room as Kim and Tara emerged.

Kim's eyes lit up as soon as she realized who was sitting with Ron. She ran up a few steps ahead of the blonde cheerleader and wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug. "Josh, it's been like forever! I can't believe you two are actually getting back together!"

"Let's get past the first date." He laughed as he took Tara's hand. "Ron had a terrific idea."

"So did Kim." Tara chirped, hopping up and down on her tiny feet.

"Okay, you first." He nodded toward Kim.

"Well, Tara told me what the two of you were planning so I said why don't we all go out together." Kim gushed, joining her friend in her little hop.

Ron and Josh both had to sit back down they were laughing so hard. Josh put his hand on Kim's arm. "See, the two of you are meant for each other. Ron said exactly the same thing. So, what where were the two of you off to?"

"Kim's gotten addicted to steak, so we were going to try that new Texas theme steakhouse out by the mall, then we were going to head over to the new theater out by the interchange."

"There's a new theater? Cool. We won't have to wear gloves when Lamar gives us our tickets." Josh said.

"It's even cooler than that. We don't even have to stand in line, we just go up to this screen thingy and buy our tickets with an ATM card and there's twenty eight screens, so there's almost always something to watch." Ron held up his thumbs. "They've also got the most badical concession stand I've ever seen."

* * *

A tall, well built man with a tan complexion and dark, perfectly groomed hair stepped off the ramp leading from the airplane. He was wearing an immaculate Italian suit and dark sunglasses, hiding his blue eyes. He passed through customs quickly, his name as well as his sizable personal fortune paving the way.

He seemed supremely confident, an attitude bolstered by the fact he was alone. Almost every time he had been to the United States before he had been in the company of his father, who would be judging and criticizing his every move. Now that he was twenty-one he was able to step out of his father's shadow (which was only a figurative shadow since he actually dwarfed his aging forebear.)

This was going better than he figured. He was indeed thankful that his former criminal activities, at least those he had been tried for, where not in America. True, he had been captured trying to steal corporate secrets in Texas but he had escaped with his father's aid before he could be turned over to the authorities. The owner of the cookie company he had tried ripping off, fearing negative publicity, never mentioned the case, simply redoubling their security.

That made it possible for Señor Esteban Senior Junior to enter the country as a legitimate businessman from Spain by way of Mexico. His father could have his grandiose schemes in his new palatial estate outside of Mexico City. Junior was done with that. The whole villainy thing was his father's hobby, not his. Now that he was out on his own he could pursue his own dream; that of becoming an international pop sensation.

His plan was fairly simple. With his own personal fortune he had fostered after claiming the two billion dollar reward for turning his own father in he was going to buy his own record label and produce the CDs himself. He still had no earthly idea how to handle the money himself, but he had a cadre of lawyers and accountants ready to do his bidding. He would issue the simple orders and it would be up to them to see to it they were carried out.

There was no doubt in his mind he would succeed…

…and that he would have his Blue Fox by his side when he did.

* * *

"So, we're sitting there in Middleton Park, looking at my project and all of a sudden this film starts, playing right on that wall and it's Kim at maybe two years old taking a bath."

Kim hid her eyes, wishing she could crawl under the table, utterly and totally thankful she didn't have any Aurora Orchid serum in her system.

"The whole time she's wearing what's got to be her father's trench coat, even though it was like in the sixties that evening. That had to be the freakiest date I have ever been on."

"That's nothing." Ron cut in. "The last time Kim and I came here," He waved his hand at the bustling restaurant. The wait at the steakhouse was over an hour so they all agreed it would be fun to go to Muddrakker's. "It's like twenty degrees outside and snowing to boot but Kim's going out if it kills her."

"So not the drama, Ron. I would have been perfectly happy sitting at home in front of the fire."

"Right. Anyway, I'd had these reservations at La Cirque for like two weeks, but they closed early because of the storm so we ended up coming here. Well, before we could even finish our meals they decided to close up too so we went out to the van. By then it wasn't just snowing, it was a complete blizzard."

"Let me guess." Josh cut in. "The van wouldn't start."

"Exactly. So we're stuck there in the snow. We called Wade but he couldn't do anything. All the while it's getting colder and the snow is getting worse."

"I bet the two of you cuddled." Tara said dreamily.

"It was too cold even for that." Kim replied, picking apart a buffalo wing.

Ron went on with his narration. "We tried walking home, but it took us forever just crossing the parking lot."

"What did you do?" Josh asked, reaching for the wing platter.

"We ended up getting a ride home in a police car." Kim finished, shooting Ron a look to leave out the part they ended up snuggled up all night together, even though it was purely sleep. "I like this place, but it just seems like something freakish happens every time I come here."

"Yeah, what was the deal with you that night." Josh asked. "I mean, I'd have never figured you for a klutz like that, spilling your drink and knocking the whole table over on me, all the while spraying ketchup all over my face."

"Bad guy issues. When I ran off at the park I was actually fighting a pair of Ninjas."

"Oh, so that's where you got the cape. What about those two kids who were shadowing us?"

"My little brothers." Kim replied dryly.

"See, I told you, the weirdest date in history. You could have told me what was going on, Kim, I would have been cool. So, you two must be pretty serious, considering all the Bling you're wearing."

Kim's hand went to the middle of her chest, pulling out the heart pendant necklace with the class ring hanging from its clasp. "Ron barely even wore it before he gave it to me. I had no idea it was going to be so big."

"His hands are big, you know." Tara said with a sly little grin. Kim lightly kicked her shin under the table, prompting the blonde to stick her tongue out at her.

"Actually, I was talking about all the emeralds. Ron, man, you've got good taste in jewelry."

"I is what I is." He said, grinning at Kim. She squeezed his leg lightly.

Josh went on. "I mean, they're exactly the same color as her eyes. Now I'm going to have to come up with some money to buy Tara sapphires."

"I'm going to remember you said that." Tara said, hugging her date's arm.

Ron looked at Kim's eyes. "That part was easy. I knew the moment the jeweler pulled them out they were right." He gripped her hand as she smiled back at him. Her eyes turned dark as she looked past him.

"Oh, isn't this rich. Must be a foursome night or something."

Ron turned around, locking eyes with a grinning Bonnie.

"Bonnie, this is a private conversation." Kim growled at her.

"Oh, I'm sure the four of you want some alone time, especially so you can get some time to get reacquainted with Josh. Good thing you brought along a spare so Stoppable won't get lonely." She nodded at Tara who looked like she had been slapped across the face.

Josh stood up, joined moments later by Ron. About that moment Tad Thacker, the star quarterback of the Lowerton Lemurs stepped up beside Bonnie, looking down at Ron. He was tall and built like Brick but he didn't have the rounded edges of his date's one-time boyfriend.

"Why don't you sit back down, mascot." He growled.

"Why don't you take your date and leave us alone." He said dangerously.

"Come on, Tad. We wouldn't want to make a scene." Bonnie said musically, touching the big football player's arm.

"Not until you apologize to Kim and Tara." Ron growled at Bonnie.

"Ron, it's okay." Kim pulled at his arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Bonnie said smoothly. "Sorry I ever consented to have that little hussy on the cheer squad. Maybe you didn't know this, Joshie, but there's a real good reason Ronnie here is so smitten with Kim. Not that you ever found out about it." With that she turned on he heel and walked off, her nose in the air and her brutish date in tow.

Kim watched them go, then watched as Ron stood there, clenching and unclenching his fist.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	33. Part XXXIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXIII**

* * *

Bonnie watched from her window as Connie got into her boyfriend's car. She waited until the car was out of sight before she returned to her bed. With what she was going to attempt, she didn't want anyone in the house who could potentially spoil it.

Her father worked with contractors, so when she saw a set of contracts sitting in his briefcase, she instantly had an idea. One of the date leapt right out at her, eliciting a narrow eyed grin. Copies of those contracts were sitting on her bed, just in case she needed to reference them.

She set a small tape recorder on her nightstand and pushed play. Generic office sounds came from the speaker, something she recorded earlier in the day while in the administrative offices of the high school.

Satisfied, she started the tape over and picked up her phone, dialing one of the numbers on the contract.

"Good afternoon." Her voice was half an octave higher than normal and she was doing her best to add a little southern twang to it. "I'm Rachael Dunforth with Middleburg County Schools. I'm Superintendent Marster's administrative assistant. I needed to speak with somebody concerning the planned floor resurfacing schedule…oh good…yes, this concerns two of our schools in Middleton…no, there's no problem except we need to switch a couple of the dates…I'm sure I don't know…I'm showing East Side scheduled to be done on May nineteenth and Middleton on June fourth…yes…well, if it's not a problem we need to simply switch the two dates…oh great, I'll let the superintendent know, thanks so much, bye."

Grinning from ear to ear, she glanced at her date book. Turning to may her eyes narrowed even more.

May nineteenth was circled heavily in pink marker.

* * *

A female figure clad entirely in black stood in the shadows on top of a building in downtown Middleton, surveying the darkened city. With a touch of a control on her wrist the stripes of her outfit glowed softly for a moment before going completely black. Carefully she pulled her hood up, making sure it covered her face completely. With another touch of the controls the hood extended over her eyes, changing into dark lenses that completely obscured her features.

As she looked over the ledge there were two bright flashes in the windows of one of the storefronts. She put one foot up on the edge, ready to jump down onto an awning directly below her, then thought the better of it.

Stepping back into the shelter of the shadows, she touched the control pad on her wrist again. The material seemed to stretch until it formed a small screen about four inches across. It lit up faintly, showing an overhead diagram of the street. Right in the middle of the building where the store was located a small red light blinked. If her eyes had not been obscured an observer would have seen them narrow. She glanced back at the street and melted deeper into the shadows.

* * *

Kim read the chronometer built into her new black super-suit one more time. She was hunched down behind the counter of the jewelry store they had staked out.

"Maybe she wasn't around tonight after all." Ron said, fiddling with the controls of his own suit. It was his first chance to wear it in the field and he still wasn't quite satisfied with it. He had been trying to make the sleeves retract to three-quarters length but so far the only thing he managed to do was drop his cargo pants. At least he wasn't wearing boxers between the suit and his pants.

"Quit fooling around, Ron. This was supposed to be too good a target for her to pass up." Kim reached into the pouch on her hip and pulled out her royal blue Mark II Kimmunicator. "Wade, are you sure you put the rumor out?"

"I did as much as I could, Kim. There's only so much rumor I can spread in the criminal underworld, but it should have looked like somebody was planning a heist there tonight."

She frowned as she looked at the screen. She checked the unit when they suited up for the mission and again when they set up their little sting. It was fully charged both times, yet as she turned the screen on to talk to Wade the meter suddenly dropped from full to three quarters then to half before stabilizing.

"Wade, I thought you fixed this thing." She griped, popping it against her palm with no effect.

"I couldn't find anything wrong with it. Is the charge dropping again?"

"Yeah, it suddenly dropped by half, right while I was talking to you."

The twelve year-old genius shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. Just to be sure I replaced all the internals, then let it sit on my desk powered up. It took a whole week before it even dropped one bar."

"I just took it off the charging dock before I left the house. It should have had a full charge."

"Kim, I'm sorry, but I'm just completely stumped by it. Like I said, I replaced everything inside it. The only thing I reused was the casing itself, and it's just high-impact plastic. There's literally nothing inside there that could be causing a power drain and that's the third set of batteries I've put in it. I've got the other two sets right here and they're still reading perfect."

"Grrrr. We're missing something."

Ron leaned back against the wall. "Kim, it's been an hour. If she was going show I think she would have done it when we set the flash-bangs off."

"Yeah. Give it five more minutes and we'll call this off and hit BN for a midnight snack Baby."

"Badical." He grinned. Kim was absolutely sure she heard Rufus squeak 'Naco' from his vantage point at the front window.

"Well, I'm glad the owners of this place were willing to help us anyway." She said, turning her Kimmunicator off before the batteries could die completely.

"They were just happy you helped them when that guy ran off with that forty-five thousand dollar necklace."

Kim shrugged. "It was no big. Anybody could have tripped him as he ran down the sidewalk."

Ron's facial features scrunched up like he was deep in thought. After a couple minutes he pulled his own Kimmunicator out and punched send. "Wade, there's never been in problem with mine has there?"

Wade shrugged. "No. That's what's bothering me. If there was something fundamentally wrong with the design it should have shown up in yours and mine as well."

"So there's no difference except mine's silver?"

"None whatsoever. The only functional difference is when I key in the specific transponder so I can tell the units apart, but that's just a tiny toggle switch on the circuit board. It's a standard component that's been used for years with no problem."

"The paint?" Ron asked.

Wade shook his head. "If I was going to blame something like that, I'd look at yours first since there's a metallic component to the finish."

Kim frowned, her own forehead scrunching up in thought. "What if it's not the hardware?"

"I don't see how the software could do anything. You've got the same stuff running on it that you've used since I gave you the Mark IIs. Even that's fundamentally the same as you had on the Mark I, with just a couple bios changes for the newer hardware. If that was the problem it should still be showing up on Ron's since the only real difference there are the extra ring-tones I downloaded for him."

"Waitaminute Wade. The last time you sent it back to me, my homework was still in the memory."

"Sure. I uploaded the whole thing into a virtual Kimmunicator in my mainframe so you wouldn't lose any important data."

"So everything that was in it before was put right back into it." Ron cut in.

"Right. Phone numbers, personal notes, Kim's online diary…I swear, Kim, I haven't even peeked since you caught me when I was ten." His eyes suddenly got wide. "Kim, turn yours back on."

"Okay." She hit the power button. The charge was still reading half, but after a moment it dropped one more bar.

"Just hope it holds out for another few seconds…there, I've got a clone of it's entire memory running in the virtual Kimmunicator."

Kim shut her unit back off and scooted close to Ron. Wade was working furiously at his keyboard, more so than usual.

"Wow." He said, leaning away from a keyboard that by all rights should have had smoke coming from it.

"What wow?" They both chorused back at him, neither of them even thinking about calling jinx.

"Whoever wrote this virus is a near master. If they hadn't made a couple mistakes we'd have never found it."

"What, Wade?" Kim asked, her full attention rooted to the tiny screen.

"I still haven't figured out how this got in there, but there is a hidden shell program designed to make the Kimmunicator broadcast a low-yield signal even when it's turned off. I'd have a hard time detecting the signal unless I was actually looking for it and then it only broadcasts about five feet in radius."

"Low-yield signal, got that part." She glanced at Ron, who nodded as well.

"That's where they goofed. There's a glitch in their code that's causing a huge power drain on the batteries. It's a good thing I switched to Quadra-lithium batteries in this model. The old tri-lithium ones would have overheated to the point they would have burned right through the casing. One or two lines of code and the battery drain would have been so negligible we'd have never known to look for it."

"You're still not telling us what it did." Kim fussed.

"Here's the scary part. Remember when I gave you two the new locator chips?"

"Yeah."

"They work on a passive signal system. They don't actively broadcast constantly like the originals. I was afraid somebody would stumble onto the signal and learn how to track you without you even knowing it."

"Go on." Kim prompted.

"The new ones only broadcast your locator signal when they are charged by a certain energy frequency. That's the signal your Kimmunicator has been giving off."

"So somebody besides you has been tracking me." Kim's features were etched with concern.

"Looks that way." He touched a control on one of his auxiliary keyboards. "Okay, I just killed your tracking chips. They're completely deactivated and by morning your bodies will have absorbed them. I'll get to work on some new ones on another frequency and I should have them to you by tomorrow. I still want you to drop your unit off with me so I can completely blank the memory. I'll isolate the virtual one until I can figure out how it got into it." He paused for a moment. "Ron, that was a good call, thinking about what made the two units different."

He half-smiled. "That was nothing. It was you and Kim who figured out it was the program thingy."

"No Ron." Kim said, laying a hand on his arm. "It was all three of us working as a team. One idea led to the other but it was your idea that put us on the trail."

"I'm going to get to work. You two have a good night, what's left of it." Wade said as he signed off.

"You too, Wade. You rock." Kim reached across and turned it off. "I don't know about you, Ronnie, but I've so got a craving for some Mucho Caliente Cheesidillas."

Rufus hopped onto the counter above them. "Uh huh." He squeaked.

"Sounds badical to me, KP." He held out his hand and she hauled him up. "Aw, man, now I've got flat-butt." He rubbed his behind after sitting on the hard floor for so long.

"Let me see." She made a show of manually inspecting the aforementioned body part. "Nope, feels fine to me." She gave him a light pat as they headed for the door.

"I dunno, KP, still feels might flat, maybe you need to check again." He leered at her. "I'll buy you a Grande-sized cheesidilla."

Kim grinned at him, putting her hand on her hip. "Very funny. You don't have to pay for anything at BN."

He held up his palms. "Can't blame a guy for trying?"

She finished locking the door and reset the alarm, then gave him a little pinch on his behind. "There, re-inspection done."

"Hmmm. I think you got a little flat-butt sitting on that floor too." He gave her a pinch right back, which was more effective since literally all she had on was the super-suit itself.

She turned around and pinched him right back, which was followed by him trying to pinch her again. Kim laughed out loud, skipping ahead of him while he made little crab pinchers with his fingers, chasing her the rest of the block. She finally let him catch up to him, wrapping an arm around his lower back.

"I'm so not going in dressed like this." She said. "Maybe I should wear my cargos over it too."

"Nah, that'd spoil the scenery." He craned his neck back to look at her 'scenery.'

"Eyes front, soldier. We're still using the drive-thru."

"Cool. I…" He stopped and looked around.

"What is it, Ron?"

"What if the suit-thief was tapping into the tracking chip signal?"

She let out a little gasp. "Then she knew I was in there waiting for her. Ron, you are a genius. That's why this went bust tonight." She started walking, taking big strides this time toward the nearby lot where his car was parked. "Come on, I've got an idea."

He followed, hoping that idea wasn't going to sidetrack their planned stop at Bueno Nacho.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	34. Part XXXIV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXIV**

* * *

Kim spread the plans out on the table in Middleton High Schools main conference room. As usual, virtually the entire Prom Committee was female, all except for Ron and Frank Molloy. Everyone gathered around her end of the table, trying to get a closer look at the design she had come up with. There were lots of ooo's and ah's, all except for Bonnie, who remained in her seat, glancing disinterestedly at it. Kim couldn't care less. Ever since the other cheerleader's ferociously rude interruption of their double date with Tara and Josh the only words they had exchanged were those absolutely necessary at cheer practice and those were often accompanied by low growls from both parties.

Strangely enough it was Ron who was affected the worst by Bonnie. Normally he didn't hold a grudge but this time he refused to speak to her at all. It was if he decided his now-former friend had ceased to exist. Much as Kim wanted to boot the smug brunette clear to Denver the fact that Ron was so put out by the issue actually made her a little sad, at least for his sake.

Finally Bonnie couldn't take it any more. "You have got to be kidding me." She shook her head, half sneering at her rival.

"What now, Bonnie?" Kim frowned, holding the large sheet of paper unrolled with her fingertips.

"It's just so…boring." She managed to cock her head to one side and put her nose in the air at the same time.

"It's called simple and elegant, Bonnie. It's a formal affair." Kim retorted.

"I say there needs to be a theme." Bonnie rested her chin on her knuckles, as if she was bored by the whole prospect.

"What, more 'underneath the sea' like last year or 'enchanted Arabia' the year before? What are we going to do, copy another Mouse Ears animated movie this year?"

"Well, yes. I was thinking we could do something with 'Imperial China' or something."

"Puh-leese, Bonnie. We've got a limited budget this year. This way we can make it 'A Night to Remember' without cutting it so close the snack table only has Ritz crackers and Kool-aid." Kim glanced at the other members of the committee, who seemed perfectly happy to let the two of them have it out. At least they were arguing the subject at hand.

"Oh, of course we have to have lots of snacks…so Ron's little freak pet can scarf it all down." Bonnie's expression got even worse as the target of her jab leapt on the to table shaking a tiny clawed paw at her and chittering in Naked Mole Rat at her, though she was sure he actually squeaked out 'hey!'

Finally tired of just the two women running the meeting, Frank cut in. "How about we use a nineteen twenties art deco theme. That would still keep the design minimalist but at a touch of class to it."

"That's spankin, Frank." Kim beamed at him. "I think that would work perfectly without making any major changes to my design." There were lots of nods all around, though Bonnie obviously would not be persuaded.

"You could even dress like a flapper, KP." Ron suggested with a silly lop-sided grin.

"Great, we'll turn the whole gym into one big speak-easy, though I understand you like that kind of party, K."

Virtually every eye in the room turned on Bonnie. There was no secret that Kim had gotten drunk at a party back before Labor Day, but that was something that was done to her by way of the host secretly topping off her drink with Everclear. Everybody knew that and understood it, the whole incident put behind them as just something unfortunate that happened to her.

Kim chose to ignore her. "That's be slammin, Ron, but it's already set in stone how I'm dressing for the prom. Besides, I'm not getting a 'bob' on this for love or money." She pointed at her mane of auburn red which was pulled into a smooth ponytail from high on the back of her head.

"I still think the gym is going to look like a big empty barn with so few decorations." Bonnie wouldn't let it go.

Linda Platt answered that time. "Between the class of 06 and 07, we've got almost a hundred more students. If the greater portion attend and bring dates from outside we're going to need every bit of that space and more. We might even have to leave out some of the tables we used last year."

"Linda's right." Ron supplied. "If the Winterfest Dance was any clue, we've got a lot more people coming to these dances this year and the Prom could be really big, I mean even bigger than it was last year."

"Yeah, they all want to come and see the two of you dancing. Hey, Linda, what's the pool on whether he proposes up to now."

"Frank, that's cheating." She snapped back at him as both Kim and Ron turned crimson.

"Arrgh." Bonnie growled softly, banging her forehead on the table. "I don't even know why I even sit on these things if it's all going to be another love fest for Kim." She said under her breath.

The door opened, admitting Principal Director and Steve Barkin. "Doctor Director, we're just about to vote on an overall plan for the Prom decorations."

"Better shelve those plans, Possible."

"What?" Several of the gathered students chorused.

Principal Director stepped forward. "I just got off the phone with Superintendent Marsters. It seems some incompetent nitwit on his staff can't read a calendar. The school system is replacing the wood floors in most of the gyms over the summer but some of the schools were scheduled starting in May and they've put us down for the very day of the Prom. I'm afraid we won't be using the gym. Before any of you can ask, no, they can't reschedule the work. The contractor has already firmed up their plans and any changes would involve hefty penalties the school system is not willing to pay just for a dance."

"What?" Every single one of them shouted.

Ron looked at Kim meaningfully for a moment, then turned back to the Principals. "So, maybe we can use the caf? It's big enough."

Principal Director shook her head, crossing her arms. "Fire code regulations won't allow it unless we restrict the attendance to under three hundred. We had over four hundred last year and I suspect it is going to be even larger this year due to certain factors." She locked eyes with Ron for a second before shifting them to Kim's.

Barkin stepped a little further into the light. "I've secured a backup location."

Kim could hear Ron whispering to himself. "Please don't be Wannaweep, please don't be Wannaweep." He actually had his hands together like he was praying.

That wasn't lost on Barkin. "No, Stoppable, I'm not talking about Gottagrin…they don't have a space large enough there." He grinned smugly, implying he had actually pursued that idea. "Plus I don't want to chance having the proceedings interrupted by some slime monster or walking totem poles. No, there's an option much closer and far more appropriate."

"Where?" Kim asked with a worried frown.

The principal answered that for her subordinate. "We have tentatively secured the main ballroom at Middleton Motor Lodge."

The young couple exchanged meaningful looks again. Both of them had been held in cages at the inaccurately named hotel on separate occasions. First Drakken had held Ron in an electric force field with James Possible's college friends, Professor Chen and Ramesh back when they were Sophomores and Kim had been held in an actual cage there by Monkey Fist when she had been magically transformed into a red-haired, human sized monkey when they were Juniors. They both shrugged since neither time had been nearly as traumatic as their experiences at the one-time summer camp.

"However," Wilma Director continued. "Tentatively is the key word here. We've got first crack at the space on May Nineteenth but the Middleton College Science Department is first on the waiting list for their annual mixer. If we don't come up with the deposit by April first, they get the room and we're either going to have to reschedule the Prom or cancel it outright and let me tell you, the school board takes a very dim view of anyone trying to reschedule."

Bonnie, who was still in her seat looked extra sour. "That place is like, ugh. We'd be better off using the caf and restricting the number of tickets that can be sold."

"Miss Rockwaller, I am not going to do that. The Prom is available to all Juniors and Senior, especially the latter and it would not be fair to apply such a restriction. That would prevent all but about one sixth to one fifth of the eligible students and their dates from coming. I'm afraid our one proper chance is going to be the ballroom or we will have to hold the dance some time early summer after graduation and I'm sure most of you here don't want that."

Most of them shook their heads.

Kim pumped her fist. "Don't worry, Doctor Director. We'll come up with the money, even if we have to turn the Spring Fling dance into a major fundraiser. We'll have it on time and we'll have our Prom."

The Principal nodded. "Good. I'll want a plan of action and the names of the fund-raising sub-committee on my desk by Friday afternoon."

Ron held up his hand. "Um, Doctor D, exactly how much do we need to some up with?"

She faced the worried teen. "The fee for the room is twelve hundred dollars, seventy-five percent of which is due the first of April. Still think you can do that?"

Kim and Ron looked at each other frowning. "I can do anything. We'll have it." Kim said aloud, never taking her eyes off her boyfriend.

* * *

"I just don't get it." Kim groused as they headed back to their lockers. "We always hold our Prom the Friday of the middle weekend of May. How could they schedule the work for the very day we're holding it?"

Ron tightened his grip on her hand. "Leave it to the 'dults to screw stuff up. They probably don't even care."

"How could they so something like this. It's the biggest day of the year for Seniors save for graduation and now even that looks like it's going to be held outdoors."

Ron rubbed her shoulders gently as she opened her locker. "Don't worry, KP. We'll come up with the money somehow. Just wish I hadn't given almost all that money back to Dad now."

"Ronnie, there's no reason you should have to pay the whole thing yourself and you didn't give it to your Dad, you put it back in your trust fund. Like you said, no worries. We've got just under a month to come up with nine hundred dollars. Who knows, maybe we can get the whole amount just taking a collection."

Ron laughed as he leaned against his own locker, thinking about how beautiful Kim was to take his mind off his anxiety about the dance. The Saturday after it would be their real one-year anniversary…well, technically Sunday since it was well after midnight when they shared their first real kiss. "Maybe I should put a fake beard and mustache on and threaten the school with extra helpings of mystery meat and turkey pudding if I don't get a dollar from each and every one of them."

"Oy, you are so not playing Frugal Lucre." She leaned against her open locker door for a moment, her expression brightening wonderfully. "Ronnie, can I ask you a favor?"

A very strong feeling of déjà vu washed over him, then he realized exactly what it was. Kim was wearing her snug, long-sleeved teal top and her wide-legged black jeans, precisely the same clothes she had been wearing almost a year earlier. He, of course, was wearing his usual red and cream jersey over a navy turtleneck, also precisely the same outfit.

"This Friday is Middleton Days and nobody has asked me to be their date." She walked her fingertips up the middle of his chest, twiddling his collar slightly.

"You want me to be your date?" He responded, trying to look suave this time instead of completely freaked out.

"I thought you'd never ask." She cooed, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a big kiss, heedless of whether Barkin or Director came around the corner and saw them. This time she had to stand on her tip-toes to kiss him that way.

True to form, the screen in her locker dropped from it's alcove but at least this time Wade didn't do a spit-take. Instead he just rolled his eyes and waited for the young lovers to finish.

When Kim let him go, Ron started falling over backwards, mimicking his response to her kiss on the day of the Moodulators but he caught himself part way down. Kim still giggled and turned to speak to her other friend. "Guess what the sitch is, Wade."

"I'm guessing the two of you are doing Middleton Days again this Friday. Either that or it's just another one of some thousand times the two of you have been smacking lips since then." He rolled his eyes again for good measure.

Ron put his arm around Kim's waist and listened in on the conversation. "Okay, Wade, what's really the sitch?" She finally asked, leaning close to her 'date.'

"I've been coordinating with GJ. We've got another sting set up for next week. You sure about this? I mean, until this is over with the only way I have of locating either one of you is with your Kimmunicators and I'll have to completely deactivate them just in case the bad guys have tapped into that signal too."

"It's no big, Wade. It's just until this is all resolved, then you can give us the new chips and it's all business as usual."

"Okay, it's your call, Kim. I'll catch you two later."

"Kay, Wade. I've got to get ready for my date." She said as the screen winked off.

"Get ready, I thought Middleton Days wasn't until this weekend?" Ron asked as they started toward the doors.

"I'm not talking about that. I figure since it's Wednesday we stand a better chance of getting into that steakhouse without waiting half the night."

Bonnie watched as the two left then checked her digital camera. She had to brace the little device against a door jamb since she couldn't use the flash but the picture had come out anyway. It was a little fuzzy, but it was clear enough for her purposes.

She smiled wickedly as she put it in her purse and headed home herself.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	35. Part XXXV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXV**

* * *

The early spring warm-snap was holding, at least for a couple more days. A chill wind was due to blow in from the north on Sunday, but for Friday night, at least, it was pleasantly warm, even a touch humid. Were the spring just a tad further along, Kim would have been worried about storms kicking up. Instead the night sky over downtown Middleton was crystal clear with only an occasional wisp of cloud to give the beautiful sky visual interest.

Despite the early crowd, mainly made up of parents and children enjoying the assorted entertainments that preceded the night's parade and fireworks display, Kim was walking alone. If her father had know she would be out, by herself at night he would have almost certainly vetoed such a plan. It didn't matter how much martial arts training or how much combat experience she had, she was still a one hundred and five pound young woman. In that day and age it just wasn't a wise thing to do, especially dressed the way she was.

Kim would have never imagined actually feeling uncomfortable in her short black dress. Physically it fit her perfectly and the only mechanical discomfort involved was having to remember to move in a 'ladylike' fashion so she wouldn't give anyone a peek she didn't want them to have. No, her discomfort didn't come from the way the dress fit or from the pleasantly warm night air or even from the dark red platform sandals she had on. It was all inside her head.

She had worn it only on relatively few occasions, the first time on this very Friday a year earlier. Under the influence of Cyrus Bortel's Moodulators she had put it on to impress Ron, though she knew all along he would have been impressed if she had shown up in rags. She hadn't told him this, but until the device on her neck failed, she had every intention of having her way with him that night. She didn't know how that would have played out when he tried to let her down easy if the thing hadn't changed setting unexpectedly. Somehow she felt she would have gotten her way. Ron may be the greatest guy on the planet but the operative word there was guy.

No, that wasn't quite right either. She smiled to herself as she slowly made her way through the crowd. Ron was putting his love for her and their friendship before the chance of having that kind of a relationship. Much as she wished it could have been different, that both their eyes were opened earlier, it wasn't yet time for them to realize just how much in love with each other they were. The intensity of their love for each other was so great, if they had begun that night at such a point, they very well may have burned so brightly the would be consumed.

Part of her discomfort was the memory of that night. The city looked exactly the same as it had then. People lining the streets, preparing for a big party, reveling in the supreme fortune of having it on such a fine night. That brought all the emotions, the real ones hidden just under the surface of the artificially heightened ones, right back to her. The terror she felt about what she was doing but was powerless to stop. The shame that rocked her even as she lifted Ron's body into the air.

There was also the bitter feeling of disappointment she felt when she collapsed onto her bed, soaking her Pandaroo with tears. It wasn't until a couple months later that she realized just what had caused that emotional outburst. The morning after she simply put it to an aftereffect of the Moodulator. It wasn't until she was kissing Ron at the Prom for real that she realized she was disappointed something real hadn't come of that night.

The other reason she was uncomfortable was the fresh memory of the last time she had the dress on. That was just pure embarrassment, being out dressed like that in the dead of winter with a blizzard raging all around them. She laughed slightly to herself, glad _that_ wasn't what she had her picture taken in for the yearbook.

Her smile got a little wider. It took the twelfth time to actually get it right. The picture came back beautiful. Nothing untoward showing on her face, nothing stuck to her teeth, no 'bats in the cave' to embarrass her. Her dress looked perfect too. Something must have finally gone click in Nana's head since the outfit she sent this year was pretty, stylish and actually fit her. It didn't make guy's eyeball pop out of their head like the one she had on right then, but it was still going to be seen plenty as Spring finally took hold. Ron's eyes almost glazed over when he saw her in it.

She stopped and opened her purse, the smile slowly fading. She was wearing her big red bangles, so there wasn't any place for a watch. That meant she had to rely on her Kimmunicator to know what time it actually was. In fact, her little blue omni-communications device was just about the only thing different about her that night, save for her wearing the emerald earrings instead of the bakelite red ones she wore last year.

It was a quarter past seven. That worried her just a bit. Ron said he was going to meet her there at seven sharp. That in itself was strange. They almost always began their dates at home, sometimes never even managing to leave, choosing instead just some private time in front of the television or the fire place. Kim wanted to make the most of their off-time and so did Ron. Meeting downtown for the festival was…weird. Ferociously weird.

Ron's up to something weird.

Her finger hovered over her Kimmunicator for just a moment. All she had to do was touch two keys and it would call Ron (if he actually remembered to have the blame thing with him.) Slowly her hand drifted away from it. If something was wrong, she would have felt it in her bones already. If he was up to something else, well, then she would just have to trust him.

Still, his being late made her a touch grumpy.

Kim sat down on the window ledge of a storefront (carefully crossing her legs as she did so.) In a few minutes she was going to call Ron anyway, just to make sure he was okay. It so wasn't like him to be missing out on any potential date time.

She was on the outer edge of the area set aside for the food vendors which, incidentally, was right next to where all the portable 'spinny' rides were running. An awful thought crossed her mind that Ron might have already hit the food concourse and been tempted to ride something, resulting in a prodigious mess.

All the usual suspects were there: Elephant ears, funnel cakes, roasted corn, various and sundry forms of fried or grilled meat on pita bread, cotton candy, popcorn. It was all there. Even Bueno Nacho had a tent set up, though instead of simply recreating the fare served in the restaurant, which was only a short walk away, they were handing out samples of their new frozen Chimiritos. At least she was glad Ron hadn't been roped into doing that since that meant he would have tried to get her to help out as well and even though she would never admit it directly to him, he had a couple weapons equally as powerful as her puppy-dog-pout. In fact, he was getting to where he could do that as well, its effect only heightened by his puppy-like brown eyes.

Her tongue stuck out at the thought of standing there, handing little cut up bits of greasy Chimirito to everyone who came by, all the while having a big fake smile plastered on her face until it hurt from the strain.

A little rumble started in her belly. It had technically been Ron's turn to bring their mid-day meal but he begged off because of a project he was working on for school. That was fine with Kim, since she had learned somebody was bringing a 'Fruits of the Sea" platter for the Senior Table. Ron launched into a short monologue about what on that tray would be considered okay within a Kosher diet, which wasn't much, right before diving in and getting a little of everything there. He may have been becoming slightly more devout, but he most def didn't keep Kosher.

The problem when somebody brought those platters to share, everybody managed to get a little but nobody got a lot so she was almost famished. The frozen Tex-Mex was looking better and better to her all the time. Her eyes went from booth to booth, weighing the deliciosity against the nutriciocity of the fare at each one, none of them really doing to well in her mind with the possible exception of simple stuff like hot dogs or corn dogs.

The lines didn't bode well either. This would be most people's dinner time, so there were lots of hungry folks lined up for some grub. By the time she actually waited through one Ron would likely be there and he'd want some too, making her either share what she got or stand in line once more.

One booth in particular caught her attention. It was a simple yellow and white rental tent, without the complicated, colorful banners of all the rest. There was a sign but it was obscured by the line and what a line it was. There were easily four times as many people in that line as any other vendor in the place.

Something started tickling the back of her mind.

Ron said meet her there at the food vendors at seven, then he disappeared after arranging a ride home for her with Hope. He didn't even stick around for cheer practice, something to do with the big project he was working on.

Kim started walking toward the booth, her feet moving of their own volition. The people in line were craning their heads, trying their best to see what was going on inside the tent. She tried looking inside as well, but the crowd was pressed in too tightly and she once again regretted being a little on the short side at five foot five inches.

More out of curiosity than anything else, she went and stood at the back of the line. That's when she finally saw the small, elegantly printed sign proclaiming who that particular vendor was.

Ron wasn't late, he was already there!

* * *

Two nights earlier Ron had been enjoying watching Kim eat. She was tearing into what was actually a quite large steak with obvious gusto. Considering the amount of energy she constantly burned she deserved such a treat every once and a while.

Even though she was devouring the medium rare Porterhouse as fast as she seemingly could, she would never match Ron for speed when it came to downing food. He could simply open his mouth and shovel it in. Kim could do anything, but her mouth was only so big. At least in a Texas Roadhouse style place, with peanut shells all over the floor, she didn't have to make any pretense of eating in a 'ladylike' fashion. In fact, she was coming to enjoy places like this where she could let her guard down a little. It beat eating the same food and paying three times as much while having to worry about which fork to eat what with or whether she was going to get something on her dress.

"Ron…" chew, chew, pick, swallow, "you really need to try your hand at grilling like this."

"I dabble." He grinned, remembering how he managed to rescue everyone from James Possible's unfortunate grilling skills at the Possible Labor Day Picnic (with the help of Kim's little brothers who managed to almost put their father's home-made propane grill into orbit.)

"I don't just mean burgers, Honey. I mean meat. Huge hunks of meat grilled over an open flame, some of it with spices like this, some where it's just the meat. I bet you'd have folks lined up for miles if you opened a place like this doing that." She shoved another huge bite of meat in her mouth, chewing heartily.

A light bulb went off in his head.

Begging off continuing their impromptu Wednesday night date after dinner, he headed straight home after dropping her off. He found both his parents in the kitchen, simply enjoying each other's company after a nice quiet dinner together at home.

"Dad, I need your help with something. You too, Mom."

"Sure, Ronald. What is it?"

"I found out today we've got to come up with a lot of money so we can even have out Prom this year."

Gene shook his head. "I thought we talked about this."

"No, Dad. I don't mean pulling money out of my trust fund to do it. I'm thinking of a way I can help earn some of that money for the school."

That had both his parent's full attention, especially his father's. They both looked at each other, then back to him after he finished explaining what he wanted to try doing.

"You're cutting it awfully close, considering you have only one full day to get ready." His father said finally.

"I know. I only found out we needed the money today and I only got the idea while KP and I were having dinner."

"Okay, let's go for it. We haven't got a moment to lose." His father folded up his paper and headed for his office.

Ron headed for his room and pulled out his cell-phone. Kim wasn't the only one who was capable of calling in favors.

* * *

Kim stepped out of the line, grinning from ear to ear. It only took a heartbeat for her place to be filled in, but she had no intention of waiting in that line. It was slow going, but she made her way back up to the head of it, apologizing as she squeezed her way past the onlookers who had either already been through the line or simply wanted to gawk at the spectacle.

It took her a moment, but she recognized the three young women working the tightly packed round tables inside the tent. They were all her age or very slightly older and all three were quite attractive. That didn't bother her in the least, knowing why they were there. In fact, one of them had waited on them at their double date the previous Friday.

They were the three waitresses who had been working at Muddrakker's the night of the blizzard.

That only held her attention for a split second. Her eyes immediately went to a small podium set up at the entrance of the large tent. Sitting on it was Rufus, wearing a trim black dinner jacket. As one couple came to the head of the line he squeaked "How many?"

Kim's smile got even brighter as she looked at the cooking area.

Ron was there, busy with a two other assistants. He was wearing black slacks and a tie but that wasn't what had her grinning so broadly. It was the white chef's hat and double breasted jacket that held her gaze.

He broke out into a huge grin himself when he spotted her standing there. He was in his element, doing what he was seemingly born to do. In the space of two days he had re-created _Chez Ronald _at the Middleton Days Festival.

"Now, if you good folks will excuse me for just a little bit, I have something special prepared for the most beautiful woman in Middleton." He pulled out a large pair of grilling tongs and took two small steaks from the large food service grill he had set up. "Now for the final ingredient, a special mix of spices I've mixed myself, and we know what that means!" He took a shaker and lightly seasoned the two filets.

"Booyah!" The crowd chanted a few times as he plated the food, adding several asparagus stalks to the side. Setting one of the plates down for a moment, he motioned for Kim.

She laughed heartily as he led her to a small table set up behind the tent. They were in the middle of a small courtyard between two downtown buildings. A white tablecloth was spread on it and a single candle burned in the middle.

"Ron, what in the world are you doing?" She said as he held her chair for her.

"Just doing my part so we can have the most bon-diggity Prom in the history of Middleton High School." He took his hat off and set it aside.

"You did all this? Was this the big project you've been working on?"

"Yup. Better eat that before it gets cold."

Kim spread a napkin in her lap and cut into the filet. Even though they were using plastic tableware she could have cut it with a spork, let alone the more proper knife and fork that had been laid out for them. Taking a bite, her eyes just about rolled back in her head. "Oh, man, Ron, that's spankin!"

"I'm glad you finally showed up. I was about to run out of filet mignons and you'd have to settle for a strip or some Chicken Kimberly."

"Oh, I want that too. How on earth did you do all this?"

"I had a lot of help from Mom and Dad. Mom's running the 'kitchen' right now while we eat. I do think I used up all the favors though."

She took another bite, causing the same response as the first. "Ronnie, I'm about to do my impression of Meg Ryan over this. I've never tasted steak like this."

"Shhhhh. We don't want people thinking there's more going on back here than a private candlelight dinner." He took a huge bite of his own food. "Good news, Dad tells me we're just about to clear enough to pay for everything, so everything else tonight is gravy. With what we're charging, we're not going to clear a lot, but at least we'll take a big bite out of what we need."

Kim put a hand on his, smiling warmly at him. "I love you, Ronnie."

"Love you too. Just hope you feel that way in about ten minutes."

"Oh?" Her eyebrow went up.

"Yeah. There's one thing missing from Chez Ronald." He reached into his pocket and pulled a small dark bundle out, putting it on the table.

It was a hair net.

"You have so got to be kidding me." Kim glared at him, though it didn't last as she broke out into another smile.

"The apron is back there in the tent. Don't want you getting any of the dishwater on that badical dress of yours, now do we?" He leaned on the table, smiling his best goofy smile.

She polished off the last of her food, slightly sad it was all gone. "Ron, I'll do anything to help, but there is no way in this world I'm wearing that stupid stuff in this dress." She laughed, drinking deeply of her tea.

"Well, let's see. Mom absolutely forbid letting you anywhere near the cooking area…"

Kim kicked him lightly in the shin.

"Ow. Okay, we're already pushing it with the health department having Rufus as the Maitre'd. How about being hostess for the rest of the evening?"

She stood up and held out her hand to him. "I will on one condition."

"What's that." He took her hand, standing up in front of her.

"You convince me properly first." She wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes.

The kiss he gave her was _very_ convincing.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	36. Part XXXVI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXVI**

* * *

"…so I'm like_ what_…_ever_ and he just goes 'forget you' and he just walks off." Bonnie said, looking skyward and waving her hands around as she walked.

"Jerk." Danika replied.

"S'ha. He thought he was like this major hottie and he was like all ripped and stuff but hotness, now way. Then I told him to take me home and he got all weird like he was going to leave me there and everything. He finally figured it out and took me, but he got all high-horse and said I could forget him taking me to the Prom, like I was really going to let that sack of meat take me anywhere again. Like there's going to be a Prom anyway." She played with a strand of hair. "Think I should go blonde, D?"

"Nah. You're too tan to pull off blonde, besides, I need somebody to contrast with me since I'm the only natural blonde on the squad."

Bonnie shot her a funny look, knowing that, if Danika Foster's hair color was completely natural then she was going to sprout wings and fly the rest of the way home. She also wasn't about to tell her that she had known Tara since they were six and she'd always had platinum blonde hair, though her one-time friend had added highlights the last couple years.

"Bon, what do you mean there's not going to be a prom? I'm dating a Senior, so I'm going to be going. Nobody else has said anything about there not being one."

"Didn't you hear? They can't use the gym, so they had to sign up for the ballroom at some nasty hotel but it's going to cost almost a thousand dollars just to hold the space and twelve hundred to rent it. There's no way the Prom Comm is going to come up with that much scratch. Last year they held fund-raisers all spring and they could only come up with three hundred bucks."

"Didn't _you_ hear?" the younger cheerleader responded in a haughty tone. "Kim showed up at the Principal's office today and plunked down a whole eight hundred dollars in cash."

"_What_?" Bonnie stopped in her tracks, her eyes like saucers, her mouth hanging open in shock. "How in the world did she come up with that much money?"

Danika stopped and looked at her 'mentor.' "Sounds to me like somebody doesn't actually want there to be a Prom. What's the matter, afraid you're not going to have a BF for the big day? Come on, Bon, it's still more than two months away, you'll find somebody, though just about all the marginally acceptable guys are already spoken for. You know, Hope's dating the star forward, Tara's dating that hot guy from Upperton U. I'm going with Chad. In fact, the only girls on the squad who won't be going are Marie and Phoebe and that's only because Marie's Mom won't let her date yet and Feeb's dating a Sophomore."

"Oh, I'll have a proper date. Now how did Possible manage that? I saw what she was planning and it was all lame."

"Didn't you go to the festival last Friday?"

"No. I don't need to see a bunch of pathetic losers in costumes riding on floats put together by the school geeks." Bonnie sneered.

"Then you sure missed out. Ron and Kim put up a booth set up like it was a fancy restaurant and Ron was the chef. By the time I got through the line all they had left was the chicken and it was out of this world. I'm sure it didn't hurt having Kim as the hostess either. The way I hear it, when Kim brought Principal Director the money this morning she was so impressed she fronted the rest of the down payment herself and is going to pay for the room today."

"That's…wonderful." Bonnie said, trying to sound upbeat about it.

"Don't worry about finding a date. I'm sure if you went stag there'd be plenty of guys to hang around with. I even hear some of the girls who came alone ended up going out with some of the guys they ended up dancing with."

Bonnie growled softly, wondering if Danika knew one of those girls ended up leaving the dance did so with Brick, only to dump him after a couple weeks for that geek in the wheelchair.

She kept her composure but inside she was seething with rage. It was all she could do last week to act shocked, disappointed and worried when Principal Director told them about the mix up. Her plan had been working to perfection and even she was shocked how much it was going to cost to rent the room. Considering the school's past performance at fund-raising, even with perky little miss-perfect's participation, there seemed to be no way they could come up with that kind of money.

Worst of it all, it was Kim and her loser boyfriend who had pulled off the coup without the planned events even having a chance to get off the ground. Sure, they were still three hundred dollars short the full amount but that was no longer a seemingly insurmountable figure. An actual frown formed on her face as she walked on, listening to the overly-chipper younger woman prattle on about who was dating who, then launching into a diatribe about her computer-scientist father and psychologist mother and how they seemed to control her life.

Visions of Kim and Ron filled her head, dressed once again in that burned dress and freakishly out-of-date tuxedo, making themselves the center of attention as they danced the night away, kissing and holding each other until they were chased out of there. She couldn't stand the thought of that happening again, nor could she tolerate the fact this year she was the one who didn't already have a steady boyfriend and probable date for what was supposed to be the most important night of their young lives.

Until five minutes ago it had all been perfect, all according to her plan. If she couldn't have a wonderful Senior Prom, then nobody would. Now it was on again and not only that, her nemesis made herself out as the hero again. Try as she might, she couldn't think of any way to stop the dance now. No, the only thing left to her was to take Kim Possible and that pathetic waste of oxygen she was in love with down.

It was definitely time to head to the photo shop and have prints made off her digital camera.

* * *

"Are you sure you have to go, KP?" Ron was sitting at her desk, watching as Rufus played _Everlot_. His avatar, a hulking warrior in gold armor with a mole rat's face was busy taking down a bunch of creatures that looked like they had been lifted directly out of _Zombie Mayhem_ along side a smallish She-Warrior of the Ice Mountain. He kept trying to jump in the game himself, just to see if that actually was Zita but every time he reached for the mouse his little buddy would growl at him. After pretty much pulling their collective hides out of the fire when he and his friend had been literally trapped in the game, Rufus wasn't about to let his humans interfere with his role a the _Tunnel Lord_.

Kim finished buttoning her black blouse and stepped from behind her changing screen. She was dressed in her 'business mission' clothes; the blouse and a nearly olive colored knee length skirt. It was a far more conservative outfit than she normally wore but she felt it proper to wear what amounted to a uniform in a sitch like this. The more formal version of their mission clothes had been Ron's idea, though he had only had the occasion to dress that way a couple times.

She sighed. Oddly enough for a Monday, they had a fairly light amount of homework, there was no cheer practice and none of the committees or other groups they were involved with had any activities planned that day. It was also fairly nice out, though it had turned seasonably cold again. It was an otherwise perfect day for the teens to spend doing stuff together, which would have likely been a lot of nothing, a chance to unwind and decompress following the busy weekend. Even though the festival was counted as a 'date' they spent the greater part of that evening wrapping up Chez Ronald, helping clean up though the rest of the volunteer crew kept insisting the two of them take off and have a good time. Saturday was spent enjoying the tail-end of the warm snap wandering about town on foot, window shopping for the most part before going out dancing. Kim wore her super-low cut black jeans and a silky blouse of shining purple that ended just above her belly button. She ended up wearing Ron's jacket by the time they got home since a chill winter wind started blowing after dark but she didn't mind. Sunday turned into a family day. Ron went to church with them, then went with Kim to their monthly meeting with Rabbi Katz. They talked to him for almost four hours, though the session was a lot more conversation than couple's advice. Though they valued the Rabbi's guidance, they were running out of things to talk about that didn't broach subjects best left until after an official engagement.

Kim sat down beside her boyfriend and lightly stroked the center of his back with her hand. "This could be the last time for a while, Honey. Don't worry, it shouldn't take long."

"I just thought we were past all this." He looked slightly sad, leaning on his knees.

She frowned as well. "I don't think we'll ever be one hundred percent past this. It's part of who we are now but this is just a follow-up. Doctor Foster just wants to talk. If anything, this should go a lot like the talk we had with Rabbi Katz yesterday."

Ron put a hand on her knee, lightly stroking it with his thumb. "Do you want me to go with you or take you or something?"

Kim took his hand in hers, gently squeezing it. "No, Doctor Foster's office is in the GJ center. I'll take the tube there. You should just wait here for me." She glanced over at the computer where Rufus was frantically dancing on the keyboard, using it to direct his character since that was easier for him than working the mouse or the joystick. "I think Rufus is too into his game right now. You boys have fun, I'll be back before you know it and we can go hang at BN." She reached over and gave him a light kiss before resting her forehead against his.

He put his palm against her cheek. "I swear, KP, all these meeting seem to do is dredge up things it seems we best forget."

"I wish she would ask you to come talk to her, Ronnie. This hurt you every bit as much as it hurt me."

He shook his head. "No. I want this behind us where it can't make us feel bad any more. Go on and see the doctor so we can get this over with. I want my happy, bright KP back."

She leaned over and kissed him again, this time with much greater passion, gently cupping his ear. When she broke the kiss she whispered. "I am the happiest woman on the planet right now. We're just going to talk, that's all. If it weren't for Doctor Director making us official freelancers I wouldn't even consider going, but this amounts to an order so I have to." Her lips met his again, not parting from him for several minutes.

They were interrupted by a series of annoyed chitters and squeaks coming from her desk. Rufus sat on his haunches, his tiny arms crossed as his character reloaded. Both teens walked over to see what was happening.

"What happened, Rufe?" Ron asked, trying to make sense of the stats displayed on the screen.

Rufus sat up and started doing charades since his limited ability to speak couldn't convey the more complex things he was trying to say. Kim watched, having no idea what any of it meant.

"He said there's a new griefer in Everlot."

"Griefer?"

"Yeah, a player who likes to take out the other players so he can get ahead. You know, like Malcolm."

"Oh." She rested her hand on his back, just below his belt, her thumb stuck under his shirt lightly stoking his bare skin.

"Who is it?" He asked, punching up some of the logs.

Rufus just shrugged, then excitedly pointed as one of the characters popped up on the screen.

The player was female, or at least their avatar was. It was dressed completely in form-fitting black armor, not unlike what their one-time online nemesis, the "Wraith Master" had worn. The screen name of the player was Princess Dan, though the rest was marked anonymous.

"Oh, her." He muttered, letting the screen go back to the home page.

"Who's that?" Kim asked, checking to make sure her Kimmunicator had a full charge before putting it in her purse. Once Wade loaded a new operating system, it had performed flawlessly.

"Danika Foster. It figures she'd turn into a griefer."

"Why's that?" Kim put the Kimmunicator in her purse which she slung onto her shoulder as she got ready to leave.

"She's a real know-it-all with computers. Real snooty about it too. She turned up as Princess Dan a couple months ago. Guess she's gotten onto a power trip or something. I sure hope that is Z that Rufus is playing with. She'll show her a thing or two." He pursed his lip in thought. "Hey, is this Doctor Foster you're going to see any relation to Danika?"

"I don't know. I never met Danika's mother, just her father. He's some kind of computer guru for a security company. I'll ask her while I'm down there." She pulled him close for one more kiss. "I'll be back as quick as I can, Baby."

"For those kind of kisses, I'd wait until your father kicks me out of the house." He said, letting his hand drop across her backside momentarily."

"Yeah, I can't wait to get back and get out of these clothes."

"Mmmm." He purred, wagging his eyebrows.

"And into something more my style, perv." She grinned widely at him as she turned to go downstairs.

Ron turned back to the computer, cracking his knuckles loudly over the keyboard. "Okay, Rufus, let's see what Princess Dan thinks of the New Knight of Rhodagan."

Rufus just rolled his eyes and shook his head, squeaking "Oh boy."

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	37. Part XXXVII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXVII**

* * *

Wilma Director put the paper down on her desk and took off her reading glasses. She then used her free hand to turn the print around so the two teens could see it. "Would the two of you care to explain this?" she asked evenly.

Kim and Ron looked at each other for a moment. The chairs they were seated in were just far enough apart to make it uncomfortable to hold hands. Given what they could see in the picture, they weren't sure if that would be wise as the moment, though they wanted to anyway. Ron nodded almost imperceptibly to her and she turned to face the principal.

"That was right after last week's Prom committee meeting, right before we went home."

Principal Director sat back in her chair, idly playing with the temples of her glasses. "This could not wait until you got there? Perhaps you felt that such activities would be frowned upon by your parents?"

Ron answered that time. "We were just playing around. It was kind of an anniversary thing."

"I see. So the two of you think that playing around on the school grounds is appropriate?"

"We were reenacting something that happened last year." Kim pleaded. "It was just a kiss, I swear."

Wilma sighed. "Miss Possible, since we had our little talk last fall I thought you had become a model student. There were no more incidents, you followed my instructions about your communications device and except for an incident that happened outside of my authority you have not allowed your missions to intrude on your school time and work.

"However, you have seemingly done everything in your power to secure yourself an exemption from all of this, including going over my head. That, Miss Possible, undermines my authority. I'm the captain of this ship and you should have been satisfied with my final word on the matter. Fortunately for you, your actions in this regard have been legitimate, going though proper channels and therefore I cannot and will not take any action against you. In fact if it were not for the blow to my pride involved, I would be proud of such initiative.

"This matter, though, is something totally different. It is a clear violation of the rules you said you would follow. That goes for you as well, Mr. Stoppable."

"But Doctor D, that was long after school was over. Even the meeting was over…and all we did was kiss."

She sat up a little straighter in her chair. "Number one, classes being over has no bearing on this matter. Number two, the meeting being over does not matter. You were on school grounds for an officially sanctioned function and until you set foot off this campus you are still bound by those rules. Number three, that kiss, any kiss is specifically prohibited in our Public Display of Affection policy.

"I want to believe the two of you. In fact I do believe the two of you when you say it was just a kiss. However, you may not be aware of this, but the two of you do have a certain reputation, one that I have seen firsthand is at least partially earned. Of all the couples in this school, the two of you seem to garner the most attention. You are role models for the greater part of this student body. For the most part, I believe the two of you have displayed great maturity in your handling of the situation.

"To you, it might be as simple as a kiss. To you it might be just playing around, repeating something that has happened before. I am quite well aware of the incident last year, let me assure you and if I had been in charge then there would have been repercussions for what happened, which, I might add, was against the rules then as well.

"Mr. Stoppable, do you know what some of the students call the two of you?" She stood up, leaning over her desk toward the cowering teen.

"Uh, I've heard Rock Banner calling us the 'Stoppables?'" He tried giving her a weak smile.

"That, or the 'old marrieds' or 'Kim and Ron, the four legged, four armed, two headed monster' or any one of a dozen other names they have for a couple the rest of the school seems to consider already married…with _all_ that implies.

"I'm sure the two of you have heard the rumors. I'm not about to believe that your other friends haven't brought some of this back to you. Have you considered what such a reputation might do to others, especially those who look up to you?"

Despite the distance, Kim reached out and took Ron's hand. "I always thought they would look at us and see what a real loving couple was supposed to be."

Wilma sat back down, steepling her fingers. "That may be true when it comes to the more mature students but have you considered we have children here as young as twelve? True, for the most part, the younger students are fourteen to fifteen and the one twelve year old and the three thirteen year olds are mature for their ages, but we have eighteen and nineteen year olds with the emotional growth of ten year olds. They look at the two of you together and, pardon my directness, all they see is the sex.

"One might assume, if they did not know the two of you well, that a kiss like that," she tapped the picture for emphasis, "is merely a prelude to intercourse. Did you know we have four girls in the student population who are currently out of class on maternity leave? One of those girls is fifteen. Also, I have had to discipline some students for engaging in sexual activity on campus.

"That kiss may be as innocent as the two of you claim. In fact I believe it most likely was. I have no idea what you may have done after leaving here and frankly, speaking purely as the chief administrator of this school, I don't care."

She leaned a little closer to them. "Speaking as the mother of two, I actually do care. For the most part the two of you have been a shining example to the other students here. You're not perfect by any means but you have shown great maturity and class. I would hate for that to be thrown away or besmirched by a reputation that might not be earned." She looked directly at Kim. "I know you are one of the brightest students here but matters of the heart can cloud even the best judgment. There is also the matter of human biology and certain natural urges involved there. I'm not your mother, so my only advice to you is to remember to keep your wits about you.

"As to the matter at hand," She took the picture and put it in a file. "I believe this to be a one-time event. There have been rumors otherwise but I have learned to take that with a grain of salt, especially when I am free to consider the source and the subject." She paused, meeting eyes with both of them in turn. "There are people who will do anything to either get back at people or try to build themselves up by knocking others down the social ladder. I don't like being used as an instrument for that purpose. Unfortunately, in this case there is more than just rumor. There is evidence to back it up. I have no choice but to act in accordance with this evidence.

"It is clear from this photograph the two of you participated in a flagrant PDA on school property. By your own admission you were on campus for an authorized function. Seeing that there have been no warnings about _specific_ incidents," She looked Kim straight in the eye once more, "I will treat this as a first-time offense. Kimberly Anne Possible, Ronald Eugene Stoppable, consider this a formal warning. Public Displays of Affection are not permitted and will not be tolerated." She pulled two warning forms from the file. Both were already filled out, awaiting only their signatures. She handed a pen to each of them in turn before returning the forms to the jacket.

"Since this was a flagrant and deliberate violation of the rules, I'm assigning one unit of detention to each of you." She said as she returned the folder to a locked file cabinet.

"I thought you said it was just a warning?" Ron looked stricken.

"A warning for the action, detention for the flagrancy." She sat back down, staring at the two of them, daring them to protest any more. After a few moments of silence she sat back in her chair, smiling. "Your detention will be held this coming Monday, so as not to interfere with cheer practice or your duties on the Prom Committee. You will both report to the Home Economics room, where I will personally give you your detention assignments." She turned her attention to other work still on her desk. "That will be all."

Wilma looked up as the two of them left, smiling just a bit once they closed the door. She would never admit it to a student, but she had been tickled to death when she learned what the two of them had done the previous Friday. With a little digging she learned it had, surprisingly, been almost all Ron's doing.

The detention was actually quite deliciously devious on her part. The rules only called for the warning and she really didn't want to drop the hammer on them for what was, after all, just a kiss but the regulations were clear and the evidence convincing. Perhaps when they were given their assignments in detention, they would figure out what she was up to.

Wilma Director (who never used her married name professionally) was just as addicted to steak as Kim Possible and she was extremely upset she had missed out on Ron's cooking that night, being dragged instead to a hot dog stand by her husband and two small boys. She made a mental note to stock the Home Ec room with just the right things for him to recreate his fare from that night.

There were other issues to attend to. She touched her intercom. "Mister Barkin, could I see you for a moment?"

It only took him a second to get there, standing ram-rod straight in front of her desk. "Reporting as ordered, Doctor Director."

"Steve, drop the military crap for once, okay? You don't have to stand at attention in my office any more."

He immediately changed his stance…to a picture perfect display of 'parade rest.' Wilma rolled her eyes slightly. You can take a man out of the Marines and all…

She pointed at the locked file. "Who gave you that picture?"

"I don't know. It was shoved under my door in an unmarked envelope."

She steepled her fingers again. "According to Stoppable and Possible, that occurred directly after last week's Prom Committee meeting. That means the only people authorized to be on campus at that time were those students participating and staff. I would like to think if one of our faculty or service personnel were to have observed their actions and wished to report it, they would have done so openly. That leaves either one of those students or somebody who was on campus illegitimately."

"Outside of our visit to the meeting, I was patrolling the grounds. There was no one else here, I can assure you. I personally saw to it my charges in detention hall left the campus promptly after I dismissed them." He reported in crisp, formal tones.

"So that would lead me to believe one of the other eight students is responsible for that photograph. Now, I don't like putting stock in rumors, but I can think of only one of them who would potentially have an axe to grind with the two of them."

He thought for a moment. "I wouldn't know about that, but one of the committee members is also a photographer for the school paper and yearbook. That would not mean anything in a court of law, however."

"It means plenty in the court of Wilma. I think we are both talking about the same person."

Barkin nodded. "Should I have her sent in?"

"Don't make an announcement over the PA. Go take her out of class yourself and bring her here. Don't mention what this is about, only that she's been called to my office."

"Understood." He stood there for a few moments, still standing exactly the same way he had been.

"Steve, I don't have to say dismissed. Go get her."

While she waited she pulled a copy of the student handbook out (she had a number of fresh copies stored in her desk.) With a yellow highlighter, she circled a particular section that dealt with privacy issues. Then she got out a copy of the yearbook/paper guidelines and highlighted a section there as well.

"You wanted to see me, Doctor Director?" Bonnie asked, poking her head in the door.

"Have a seat, Miss Rockwaller." She waited a few minutes as the (in her opinion) underdressed Senior took the indicated chair.

Finally, she asked, "Are you aware we have a policy about privacy where our students are concerned?"

"I haven't been spreading rumors." Bonnie responded apprehensively.

"Why do I find that statement hard to believe? What I do believe is that you have not done as directed when the school year began. You have not fully apprised yourself of the rules set forth in the student handbook, nor have you fully read and understood the guidelines you are bound by in your capacity as yearbook photographer." She pointed to the open pages on her desk.

"I read them." Bonnie protested.

"Well let me refresh your memory. 'Privacy between students is protected by both law and school board regulation.' It goes on in detail about the spreading of rumors and such, but that is not what I am concerned with. However, this part I am interested in your take on. 'Students may only be photographed by other students when they are aware their picture is being taken.' Here is the same thing repeated in the yearbook staff guidelines."

She held out her hand. "May I please see your camera?"

Bonnie's eyes shot up. "I…It's not with me."

"Then where exactly is it? I would think a member of the yearbook and paper staff would have their most important tool with them at all times."

"It's in my locker."

Wilma stood up. "Very well, let's go get it."

"I'll be right back." Bonnie said, getting up quickly.

"No, we will go get it." She motioned for the girl to walk ahead of her. It didn't take long, since Senior Hall was in the main building.

Tentatively, Bonnie handed the small camera over once she opened her locker.

"Where is the memory card?"

The tanned cheerleader blanched noticeably. "I, uh, think I might have left it at the photo shop. They were supposed to make prints for me."

"That's very interesting, Miss Rockwaller. Would that happen to be Reager's Photo Finishing? That would make sense, as they are fairly close by."

Bonnie nodded hesitantly.

"Good, then let's go retrieve the card. I would like to see what is on it."

"You can't do that." Bonnie pleaded. "I know copyright law says a photographer owns their own work and it's my camera and memory card."

Wilma shook her head. "That pertains to professional photographers. That card contains pictures for the yearbook and they are specifically owned by the school. Again you should check the guidelines I was showing you. Now, let's go to my car, we can be there inside of five minutes."

Bonnie's frown got deeper. "I…I think it may be in my purse." She slumped her shoulders as the principal held out her hand. After a moment of digging she put the postage stamp sized card in her palm.

She wasn't about to put it in the camera and play back the contents right there in the halls, fearing there might be things of a more personal nature on the chip. Instead she led the student back to her office, where she plugged the card directly into her laptop.

The pictures there were mostly of mundane school activities. At least the girl had the sense not to have used the thing in the locker room or some other place. Finally, near the end of the file she found a trio of similar pictures, one of which she had a copy of in the file cabinet.

Turning the computer around, she showed Bonnie the slightly fuzzy picture of Kim and Ron kissing in front of her open locker. "Now, is it possible you either asked their permission to take this picture or told them afterwards you had done so?"

Bonnie sat there for a moment, gears turning in her head. Finally she hung her head. "No ma'am."

Closing the laptop, she leaned back in her leather chair. "So, you are in direct violation of the privacy rules."

"Yes ma'am."

Wilma leaned forward, pointing her index finger at the teen. "I don't know what is going on between you and those two. I was a teenager once myself and I know how important all this 'Food Chain' crap can seem at that age but this sort of thing is nothing short of vindictive and I would think a young woman your age would have the maturity not to engage in it. Did you know if they had been engaged in something more serious than simply kissing you could be exposed to legal action from them, regardless of whether they were breaking regulations themselves? Spying on other students to get them in trouble is not your job. I do not use hallway snitches and frankly I can't stand that sort of activity. I have faculty and staff whose job it is to enforce rules and regulations. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Was all Bonnie could get out.

"Good. As of this moment you are off the yearbook and school paper staff. You are to turn in all materials you have regarding that work and delete all files on this or any other storage device you possess once that work is turned over. Your byline will be removed from the yearbook even though I would not expect any of your work will find its way into the final submission anyway. Furthermore, I am assigning two units of detention, during which you may not participate in any extra-curricular activities save cheerleading events and the only reason I am excluding that is because I do not wish to injure the rest of the squad due to your lack of judgment." She sat back once more and filled out the necessary forms. Finally she looked up at the stricken student. "That is all, Miss Rockwaller, you may go."

As the door closed she let out a big breath. She was treading on dangerous territory where the memory card was concerned, considering Bonnie Rockwaller was in fact a legal adult. If there had been pictures of a more personal nature that could have led to other problems for her.

Wilma had a pretty good idea what was going on between the couple and the girl and she knew not all of it was as simple as a teenaged rivalry. She had no clue why Rockwaller had been included in whatever went down with her sister's organization but that definitely had something to do with it.

Hopefully her actions would nip this Possible/Rockwaller war in the bud. Then again, she did remember what it was like to be a teenaged girl and that worried her.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	38. Part XXXVIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXVIII**

* * *

Kim crouched in the shadows of the warehouse. Almost without thinking about it she checked her gear. She was wearing her super-suit and, like Ron, she was wearing her new more snug fitting mission gear pants over the top of them. That was sort of a compromise with him since it still showed of her figure, though nowhere near as revealingly as the suit itself. She also had her thermal imaging glasses on so they wouldn't have to rely on the lights.

Ron was nearby and even though she couldn't see him it was as if she could feel his presence. That made her smile inwardly as well as giving her a sort of comfort she never wanted to be without. That feeling of presence had been there for a long time but it had only been recognized for what it was in the last almost ten months.

Had it actually been that long? It seemed like it was only minutes ago she pulled him along, away from the television cameras and the police mopping up after they defeated Drakken. Instead it had been nine and a half months and despite all that had happened to her, to them in that time she still counted them as the happiest days of her life.

This particular Wednesday could not be counted among the happiest of them, however. Monique arrived at Kim's house before Ron could even get there. Wade may have been plugged into the information superhighway but Monique's connections went even deeper.

"Off the yearbook staff _and_ the paper?" Kim asked as she stood in front of her closet in her underwear, trying to decide what to wear. _This was so much easier when I wore that green top all the time!_

"Believe it, girlfriend. Even before she got into that screaming match with Danika Foster over at Burger Prince last night, folks were already passing the word along. What's funny is nobody seems to know why."

Kim slipped on her cream and yellow peasant shirt and lightly snugged up the laces on the collar. "That's ferociously weird since I chair the yearbook committee. If she was doing something wrong I would have thought somebody would bring it to me first." Kim held up a pair of jeans and a white tier skirt for her friend to consider.

"Too cold for the skirt but if you wear those freaky purple shoes with that outfit, I don't know you." She nodded as Kim pulled out her usual white sneakers. The fashion maven had spoken. "That means whatever she did was either way serious…" She paused, waiting for Kim to finish putting on the pants and meet her eyes.

"Or?" Kim prompted, sitting down to put her shoes on.

"…or it's got something to do with you." She finished. "You and Ron did get called to the office yesterday."

"How did you know about…" She stopped as Monique gave her the hairy eyeball. "Oh."

"So, did you and dude-boy get called on the carpet or was that just more congratulations for Friday night?"

"Principal Director reamed us for kissing at school. It was no big, she just gave us warning and a short detention."

"I knew the two of you were going to get caught eventually. Can't keep your hands off him, can you?" Monique leaned back on the bed, grinning at her friend like the cat that caught the canary.

"Mon, we've been good all this time about it. Director's just too much of a hard case, especially if she's going to come down on us for that."

"Uh huh, and you mean to tell me you've been such a good girl the two of you haven' snuck behind the bleachers or into the janitor's closet or something for a kiss?"

Kim smiled. "We've snuck a couple quick ones. We thought we were okay for that one, but somebody…took…our…picture…" Her mouth hung open as she put two and two together…

…and came up with Bonnie.

"That conniving little…she…grrrrrrrr…Urrrrgh!" She balled up her fists, shaking bodily for a moment. "I'm going to take that camera of hers and…"

"Kim!" Monique warned before collapsing backwards laughing.

"I've got a good mind to march right up to Director and demand to know where she got that picture! There are rules about that kind of thing, even if almost all the photogs ignore it. Isn't that right Rufus?" She turned, gazing at the little pink Rodent who was trying to get to the bag of corn chips in her backpack.

She raised an eyebrow. If Rufus was there already, that meant Ron was there and since they were planning to stop at Scottish Mac's for breakfast (two sausage biscuits for two dollars was hard to pass up) there wasn't anything downstairs to occupy his seemingly bottomless stomach.

"Ron?"

A mop of corn colored hair rose from the hatch. "Is it safe?" He asked with a wary grin.

Kim blew the strand of hair that was always hanging down her nose upwards. "For you, yeah, for Bonnie Rockwaller…if I run into her off-campus…heck, if I run into her today before my morning coffee takes hold I swear I'm gonna stuff her into a locker and you know what, I bet that's going to feel spankin!" She grinned through clenched teeth.

"Kim, Kim, Kim. Just ignore her. She's just still upset about…" His eyes suddenly went to Monique.

She held up her hands and shook her head. "Hey, I can pick from any one of fifty things Bonnie complains about, so don't worry about me."

Kim got up and gave Ron his usual good-morning kiss. Well, a little more than usual until she remembered her other guest. "Mmmm, you do that so good a little bit of trouble is worth it." She glanced over at her bed, where Monique had sat up, grinning ear to ear. "No, Mon, I still don't share."

"That's okay, cause here comes my man right now." She nodded toward the window. A large passenger van was pulling up at the curb, right behind Ron's car.

They followed her out and waited while she took her turn getting her good-morning kiss from her boyfriend.

"Hi Felix." Kim leaned on the open passenger window as Monique snapped her seatbelt.

"Mornin' Kim. What's up?"

She put on her best sales smile. "How would you like a little bit of Team Possible action tonight? You too, Mon."

Felix was about to speak when Monique waved her hands in front of her. "Uh, uh. No way, forget it. I am not getting into any of that Kung Fu stuff and neither is my man."

"Hey, Mon, I can speak for myself you know." He complained, frowning a bit.

None of that slowed Kim down in the least. "There's no fighting involved, at least with what I want. See, I want the two of you to be Ron and me."

Monique and Felix looked at each other, then back to Kim, intrigued by that.

"See, here's what we're planning to do…"

* * *

The rest of the school day seemed to go downhill from there. Bonnie didn't end up stuffed into a locker but the two of them did look like a pair of angry lionesses stalking each other every time they got within twenty feet of one another. The only saving grace had been the combination of them not having any classes together and Ron being there to calm Kim down.

The Prom Committee meeting was a complete disaster. With the go-ahead to start making plans for the space at Middleton Motor Lodge, Kim was actively campaigning to simply retool their current 'simple elegance' design. Yet every time she tried to bring it up for a vote, Bonnie would jump in with some other complaint or trivial detail. The whole ordeal boiled down to a staring match between them. The only decision they managed to reach before the adjourned was to go ahead with the fund-raising plans to cover the remaining charge for the hall and pay for all the other usual accoutrements. They even had a hard time bringing the meeting to a close at a reasonable hour since Bonnie kept pushing to extend it until they decided on a final plan.

As it was, Kim and Ron only had time to split an energy bar between them before it was time to set up for their mission. Oh well, they had two good meals earlier that day and Ron could deal with a rumbling stomach for a little while. Work before play, or at least before face-stuffing. Hopefully this could all be resolved early enough they wouldn't have to rely on a fast-food drive-through.

She almost laughed at herself for considering how soon a sitch would be over so they could get some grub.

Reaching into her cargo pocket she checked the Kimmunicator one more time. A topographical map of the area popped up, with a red and a green dot showing exactly where they were supposed to be. For just a hint of a moment she had the wicked notion of pulling up the telemetry on those two dots just to get some idea of what they might actually be up to. It passed quickly since she really didn't want anybody having access to that kind of data when it pertained to her and her partner when they inhabited that particular location.

There was a sharp pop as a small explosive took out the lock at one of the large loading docks. A burly man dressed in loose fitting dark clothing rolled up the door as a medium sized delivery truck with no clear markings backed up. The first man motioned to somebody outside and was joined by two more identically dressed, similarly built men. They quickly made their way to a stack of crates, carrying them one at a time toward the truck.

"Show time." Kim mouthed soundlessly, checking the readouts on her suit one last time.

* * *

The "Vigilante Ninja," as the Middleton Examiner had dubbed her, waited in the shelter of a recessed doorway just next door to the target warehouse. She was imminently pleased with herself, finally getting the recognition she wanted for her actions. When the press finally started picking up on the string of spoiled heists they immediately tried to give credit to Kim Possible. It didn't help the first pictures of her made it look like that's precisely who it was stopping the crooks in her blue and black super-suit. It didn't matter they had always shown file photos of her in the older white outfit all the time, they knew who was supposed to have that sort of tech and simply ran with that.

As if they couldn't tell the difference between Kim's chubby boy legs and her slender, shapely gams in the skin-tight power suit.

It didn't take her long to figure out how to change the look of her suit. With its built-in stealth capabilities and morphing fabric, coupled with her skills with high-end electronics, it was easy to change it so it stayed completely black. A quick trip to the plant that manufactured the material it was made of and she had enough material to fashion a new hood for it, something much more distinctive than the face-baring version already built into it. That turned out even easier than she thought. All she had to do was reprogram the default structure of the garment, lay the new material on it and the self-repair system did the rest, joining the bold of fabric and folding it in over itself until is was just another part of it.

Silently she thanked her parents, first for the genetics they had passed along making her a genius level intellect and a gifted athlete, all the while being a serious hottie. Secondly she thanked them for being such blind nitwits. With all she had learned from her father about computers, electronics and security, it was so easy to hack into her mother's personal computer and, through that she was able to learn her mother was not just a run-of-the-mill psychiatrist working in a mundane office downtown. No, she secretly worked for Global Justice, serving the mental health needs of their agents and staff.

That gave her a back door into some very interesting information. She found she couldn't care less about the medical records she found, at least until she happened to run across one in particular. The name seemingly jumped right off her screen at her the moment she saw it.

At first she just closed the file, not wanting to pry into such intimate secrets. The person in that file had been a sort of hero to her and if she had a reason to see a mental health professional, she didn't want to know why. However, that set her off to thinking about other things.

Very quickly she was hacking even deeper into GJ's systems. At first she simply wanted to read about her idol's exploits. They were all there, from seemingly unimportant escapades like a rescue mission in cyberspace to the famous Bueno Nacho Diablo incident.

Along the way she stumbled onto the access frequency for a locator chip.

Thinking it might be fun to know where she was from time to time, she devised a way to track it. That was simpler than she thought. All it took was a fairly simple but very elegant virus program. Then all she needed was a way to get it into the PDA/Communications device she carried with her all the time. Even that came off without a hitch. An invite to a get-together at her house after practice and she had all the time she needed to upload it into the royal blue handheld.

Then a little bit of wickedness kicked in. After being on the cheerleading squad for even just a few weeks she knew there was a ton of bad blood between her and one of the other Seniors. How cool would it be to seize power from both of them? Especially since they would both be graduating and moving on. No harm there, after all.

That part seemed to be working, though not precisely as she had envisioned. Her role model seemed to benefit from every move while her rival seemed to be caught in a sort of downward spiral of petty jealousy and revenge.

Then, suddenly, the super-suit was almost literally dropped into her lap. A new idea formed in her mind. She was smart, athletic, pretty and popular. Just like her idol.

Why couldn't she be the next Kim Possible?

True, she didn't have all the fighting skills Kim possessed, but her superior knowledge of how equipment like the battle-suit worked could even the gap. With a little bit of practice, she was confident she could set out on her own crime-fighting career, only this time it would be using a secret identity. By night she could by the Vigilante Ninja.

By day she could be plain old Danika Bridgette Foster, without all the complications Kim Possible seemed to have juggling her high-school and world-saving careers.

That made her smile. Who in their right mind would suspect a valley-girl ditz cheerleader to be a crime-fighting hero?

She watched as the truck backed up to the loading dock. Her nerves were slightly on edge and it wasn't just the pre-mission jitters she had learned came with the job. It was the same feeling she had before when Possible tried to spring a trap on her.

Frowning under her mask, she checked the tracking screen one more time.

* * *

The quartet of teens sat in an isolated booth at the fast food restaurant, killing time and nursing their drinks before they had to head to class that morning.

"So all we have to do is go on a date? That doesn't sound like too much of a mission to me." Felix couldn't quite hide all of his disappointment. He really enjoyed when he could participate in missions with the team. He had even gone out and bought a black turtleneck and tan cargos as if it were an actual, official uniform.

Kim reached in her backpack and pulled out a small vial. "Not quite all. I said the two of you were going to pretend to be us." She inclined her head toward Ron, who was gently kneading the base of her neck. Opening the container, she set two tiny capsules on the table.

"What are those?" Monique eyed the small objects warily. One was green with a white K printed on it, the other red with a black R.

"Those are the famous Wade Load tracking chips. He can use satellites to locate us just about anywhere on Earth. That's the whole deal. We think somebody has been using them to track us on the sly, so it's up to you two to make them think you're us."

"And we're going to do that how?" Felix prompted.

Ron cut in. "Just take my car up to Logging Camp Road just after dark and…act naturally."

"Me like." Monique trilled, rubbing her boyfriend's shoulder.

Kim grinned at her girlfriend. "Don't like it too much. That's Ron's car, you know."

"Our car." He corrected, letting his hand drift lower.

"Kim, that is SNHITC." She glanced around at the other three. "What, I don't need to translate?"

"So Not Happening in That Car." Kim grinned. "or at least that better be what it means."

"We're all fluent in Monique-Speak now." Ron said as Kim extracted his now too low hand. "Besides, while those things are active they relay biometric telemetry to the receiver."

"In Ron-Speak that means peeps can know what the two of your are doing." Ron said, moving on to Kim's thigh.

"So the two of you wouldn't want to do anything the two of us wouldn't do." Kim took Ron's hand, holding it so it would behave itself.

"We're back to me-like." Monique smiled warmly at Felix again. "So, what do we do? Just stick these in our pockets or something?"

Kim shook her head. "You swallow them."

"Whoa. I don't know about that. How do we get them back out, or should I even ask?" Monique curled up her nose slightly, staring once again at the capsule.

"Don't worry about it, Mon. Once this sitch is over, Wade just hits the kill switch and they shut off permanently. In a couple hours your body just absorbs them."

Felix picked up the 'Ron' chip. "I'm in."

Monique picked up the other as if it were going to bite her. "You know, if I do this the two of you are going to owe me big time?"

Ron chirped up. "How about we double date Friday and I'll cook?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him and popped it into her mouth, chasing it with her iced latte. "You're on."

"Can't argue with that." Felix said as he downed his as well.

* * *

Kim was starting to worry, though the sitch had only been going down for less than a minute. The 'goons' already had two of the crates loaded onto the truck and she was beginning to wonder if their real target was going to pull another no-show.

That was, at least, until one of the GJ agents dressed as a burglar went skidding across the floor as a dark shadow plowed into him.

Launching herself, Kim somersaulted in front of the open door. Ron sprang out as well, hitting the control to lower the door.

"You are so busted." She said, her blue power bands glowing in the darkness.

"Don't think so." The vigilante said in an electronically muffled voice as she sprung straight up into the air, executing a flip before landing on a stack of crates.

Kim followed suit, landing not five feet away from her opponent. Spinning on her foot, she threw a kick that should have swept her feet out from under her.

The hooded girl simply back flipped away as if she was anticipating the move. "Maybe you haven't noticed, Kim Possible, but I'm one of the good guys."

Launching herself toward her she faked with her right then brought her left arm around. This time she caught her in the midsection. She let her weight carry the attack through, intending to carry them both to a lower level in the stack.

That never happened. Blue light surged around her and she found herself flying backwards. Instinct and years of training saved her from being thrown clear to the floor, though she still managed to land on her backside.

What just happened?

By the time she was back on her feet the vigilante was halfway across the small building, headed toward an upper level window, jumping from crate to crate as if she were a cat.

She almost made it when she was tackled by Ron. That's when Kim realized what the surge of blue light was. A crackling sphere of light formed around their opponent, sending him flying backwards, landing in a heap almost twenty feet away from her.

The girl was using the suit's defensive screens as a weapon!

Her mind in full mission-mode, Kim quickly took stock of the sitch. She had apparently been practicing with the suit, learning to utilize its capabilities. The fantastic leaps were obviously the result of using the speed enhancing features in concert with the small strength boost it afforded its wearer. She was using the suit at full-power.

Two could play that game.

"Good guys don't steal my super-suits." Kim growled as she executed her own fantastic leap, covering the distance between them.

"Some of us don't have the luxury of the kind of back-up you get." She said as she ignited the force-screen again. This time, with only the box beneath her feet to push against, it sent her sailing through the air, over Kim's head.

_That's a new one_, Kim thought as she tried to emulate the move. Unfortunately, her footing wasn't as good. It sent her into the air, but also sent the box crashing to the floor, bursting open in a shower of packing peanuts.

"Love to stay and cha…" She got out before a beam of energy hit her. The two conscious GJ agents finally got their wits about them and got a bead on her with their stun weapons.

Kim growled to herself. Apparently they weren't fully briefed on the features of the suits. The only effect the beam has on her was a distraction, though that was enough. Pointing her fist, Kim fired one of the two grappler cables built into the wrists.

The line wrapped around the vigilante, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Nice try." She growled as the energy field flared once more. The cables weren't connected to the energy absorption system, shredding instantly from the amped up sphere. Spinning around she fired her own cable into the metal rafters.

Kim jumped, trying to reach her in time but was just slightly too slow. There was a shower of glass as she hit one of the upper windows, forcing her to ignite her own screens to keep the blast of razor sharp shards from hitting her.

Using her remaining grappler, she reached the smashed window only seconds later but it was to no avail.

"Phooey." She cursed, looking out into the empty night. Below her she heard another grappler fire. Ron was quickly at her side, though without the grace of the two female combatants.

"I think we need more training with these things." He commented as his cable reeled back in.

"Doy." Kim replied testily.

* * *

Danika tried to slow her breathing as she hid between a pair of HVAC towers on a nearby roof. How in the world had Kim gotten there from the make-out point on Logging Camp Road that quickly? Even if she had one of those flying backpacks it would have taken longer than the fight itself had taken to cover that kind of distance. It was like she was in too places at once.

Silently cursing herself she checked her tracking screen. The blip was still in the same place it had been before. Lightly pounding the back of her head on the metal structure she flipped the screen off and pulled the hood off her head, letting her shoulder length blonde hair spill out.

Kim had figured out the tracking chip. That was the only explanation. The one she was reading was obviously a decoy and this whole thing had been yet another sting, one she had very nearly been caught in. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

She sat there for almost an hour, trying to calm down. She was a good-guy, wasn't she? Why couldn't Possible see that? She had another suit now, that much was clear, why did she want this one back so badly? It wasn't as if she was using it to commit crimes or to enrich herself by turning it over to an unscrupulous buyer.

One thing was certain. The Vigilante Ninja was going to have to lie low for a while. After a couple more traps, maybe her one-time hero would give up the chase.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	39. Part XXXIX

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XXXIX**

* * *

The movie reached its conclusion and the credits rolled. It hadn't been a comedy, so there were no funny blooper clips or hidden extra scenes after the credits yet it kept running right up to the very end, the screen switching back to the main menu.

Neither of the young lovers cared much to get up and find the remote.

They were lying on the couch in positions opposite from usual. Kim's back was propped up by the a pillow while Ron was leaned back against he chest. Her arms were draped lazily across his, every now and then brushing back and forth a couple inches. Reaching up, Ron took one of Kim's hands.

The weather had turned warm again and though it had been threatening rain earlier, the sun was out, making it a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. It was Perfect weather to be enjoying the outdoors. In fact, that's where the rest of the Possible family was. That's where Kim wished they were, instead of cooped up indoors watching movies. Granted, she never minded the chance to spend this kind of quality time with Ron but this seemed like a sort of waste.

If it had just been Ron and his moopy attitude, she would have bodily dragged him outside. The previous morning Kim's parents and brothers left to spend the night camping at Lake Middleton. The plan at first had been for the teens to follow that afternoon once Ron was done with his test. That would mean plenty of chances to sneak off into the deep woods for some nice private time and a night snuggled together beside the campfire (in separate sleeping bags of course, the weekend being a family trip after all.)

The moment Kim woke up Saturday morning she knew she wouldn't be going. Oddly enough for a Friday night she had been in bed by eleven so the way she felt had nothing to do with lack of rest. Her nose was completely stopped up, her throat was sore and her eyes were very slightly crusty. One look in her dressing mirror and she knew it. This hadn't happened to her in over a year and she was getting used to her unnatural healthiness.

Along with all the head symptoms, she had a fever, slight chills and her body ached like she had just gone two hours with Shego. There wasn't any question, she had the flu.

She had been fine when she went to bed. Even with a slight case of nerves she went right to sleep, thinking about the nice evening she had with Ron and her friends. They ended up having dinner at Felix's house since his mother was out on a date herself. Ron was as shocked as Kim was when they recognized the red convertible SUV in the driveway. Monique and Felix had to look at each other when the teens paused to actually have a conversation…with the truck!

Kim and Ron had to look at each other as well when they found out that the truck's owner, Dr. Freeman, was taking Mrs. Renton out on a date. They silently decided not to explain their reaction to the other couple, instead heading inside to begin preparations for dinner. The mission itself may have been a failure, but a deal was a deal and the other couple had played their part to perfection. That at least had worked and it was only because their opponent had invented new ways to use her suit and had obviously been practicing heavily with she managed to get away.

That left Kim seriously tweaked, at least for the next day. She had been learning how to compartmentalize, so once her stronger anger wore off, she was able to shove the rest aside and enjoy the rest of her life.

The evening ended all too soon, but Ron was scheduled for his last attempt at the SATs the next day, so they said their goodnights not long after nine, leaving the other lovers to have some of their own private time.

Ron was seriously stoked, though he was disappointed when Kim called to tell him she was sick and for him to go on to the test by himself. He was as ready for the test as he could ever be. Kim and Wade had been putting him through every drill, every preparation they could think of. Their tech guru had even devised a sample test, simulating the conditions he would face at the actual exam.

Hours later he came out of the classroom at Lowerton Community College a completely different person. His shoulders were sagging and his hair was matted with sweat. By the time he got to Kim's house, he collapsed in her arms, no longer caring if he caught what she had.

"Was it that bad, Honey?" She asked, holding him at the foot of her bed.

"I…I thought I was doing okay in the math part. I knew what I was doing but I swear I don't think I did any better than the last time." He let her hold his head to her chest as she kneaded his exposed ear.

"Ronnie, you did really good the last time, especially compared to the first time you took it."

"But KP, I needed better. If I don't have the numbers, I can kiss Middleton College goodbye…it means I can kiss going to school with you goodbye."

She pulled his chin up so their eyes could meet. "Ron, I've told you before. It doesn't matter where you are going to school because I love you. I'm going to love you no matter if you're going to MC or UU or even LCC. I'd love you the same if you got accepted to Harvard."

He lowered his eyes again. "I just wanted to keep it all going. We've been going to school together since Pre-K."

Kim laughed ever so slightly. "Baby, it's not like we're going to have very many classes together anyway. If you go to Lowerton, we're still going to have our evenings together." She pulled his chin up again. "There's also the weekends."

She started to kiss him on the tip of the nose, but was caught in a fit of coughing. Ron sat up, patting her back.

"So much for the camping trip." He said, rubbing his hand in circles between her shoulder blades. "I was looking forward to freaking out Jim and Tim with my ghost stories."

"Oh, Ron, not more tales of Wannaweep." She got out between coughs. Getting up, she opened a bag of cherry cough drops and popped one in her mouth.

"How many people can tell real monster stories? Hey, maybe you should take something stronger for that?" He reached for her nightstand drawer and pulled out a bottle of thick green liquid."

"No, Ronnie." She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. Her hair was ragged, her eyes droopy and her nose was fire engine red, a sure sign she was down for the count with whatever bug was ravaging her system. "If I take that stuff all I do is curl up and go to sleep."

He put a hand on the small of her back as she sat back down. "That might not be such a bad thing, KP. It's fine to push yourself to the breaking point when you're healthy, but right now the biggest thing you need is rest." He gave her a kiss on her neck, right below her cheek, making her smile softly. She wanted to kiss him like they usually did, but she couldn't breath through her nose and she didn't want to give him a full dose of what she had, though it was certain he had already been exposed plenty.

"I don't want to sleep right now. It's the middle of the afternoon and it feels so wasteful just to sleep."

Ron unscrewed the cap of the cold medicine. "That's what I want you to do. You take this and I'll just go on home and zap some zombies."

"No." She put her hand over the bottle. "I don't want you to go home. You're upset and all I've got is a bad cold." She hacked just a little and then popped another cough drop in her mouth, creating a slight haze of menthol scent around her head. "Let's go downstairs and pull out some DVDs and we'll spend the weekend together just like we planned."

In fact that's how they spent the greater portion of Saturday evening. Ron finally did manage to convince her to take a small dose of the medicine and that helped a lot, to the point they were able to spend some time kissing. He didn't care if he was exposed, if he was going to get sick anyway he might as well get it over with. Not long after their brief make-out session Kim did exactly what she said she would, she fell into a deep sleep. Not wanting to disturb her rest, he covered her up and stretched out in her father's recliner, quickly falling asleep himself, the phrase 'In Sickness and in Health' popping into his mind as he drifted off.

By Sunday morning Kim was feeling a little better. The head symptoms had mostly cleared up, letting her breath a little better but the cough was still there, to the point her ribs were actually hurting from the strain of constantly bringing up tons of gunk. After fixing them breakfast (which Kim complained she couldn't taste) he drove to the pharmacy and picked her up some cough medicine that wouldn't make her sleep. The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent watching movies, including one that was a full ten hours long. It was about Japan in the year 1600 and an English sailor shipwrecked there. On the whole it was enjoyable, though Kim had to tell Ron to quit criticizing the ninja fight scenes.

"Ron, that movie was made before we were born, I think they did pretty good for the time."

"Feh. That first ninja they showed was supposed to be the most deadly assassin in all Japan and what does he do? He goes right in the door and wakes they guy he's 'sposed to kill up. He would have flunked out of Yamanuchi inside of a day."

"You're the expert, Ninja-boy." She played with his hair a little bit. "Pew, somebody needs a shower."

"Is that an invitation?" he asked, giving her hand a slight squeeze.

"So not. In fact, for the moment, I don't care if you're hair smells sweaty, I'm too comfortable right now." She found that lying that way on the couch she had to cough less often and considering the way her chest felt, that was too good a thing to mess with.

"So how do you think you really did, Ron?"

He let go of her hand but snuggled down on her chest a little deeper. "I don't know. At least this time I answered every question. The last time I think I had maybe twenty to go, so I started filling circles in randomly. Guess it was better having a chance of getting some of them right than leaving them blank and getting them wrong automatically."

"See, if you answered them all, there's a chance you aced it."

He shook his head slightly. "No, now I remember some mistakes I made in the English section and I'm not at all happy with the essay portion."

Kim rubbed his ear. "Nobody ever feels good about the essay. Makes me wish it was like back in the days when the test was all multiple choice until they got scared some idiot would ace the thing just filling out pretty patterns on the worksheet."

"Been there, done that, never worked." He referred to the standardized tests they had been given in the fifth grade. Ron was utterly lost and passed the time trying to make a picture out of the dots on the answer sheet. The results were, predictably, bad.

"Baby, I just think you're stressing about it. We finally got your brain to wake up and you can do this now. Don't worry, if it wasn't enough it just means a little more driving each day."

"Yeah, but I had this fantasy about the two of us getting an apartment together, close enough to the school we could walk there and back together."

Kim lay her head back on the wing of the couch. "I don't think that would go over too well with Daddy, even after we're eighteen."

"Well, we could have separate rooms, like we do when I stay here."

She laughed slightly, trying to keep from coughing again. "I don't think even Dad would fall for that. It is a nice thought though. Maybe when we're Seniors again."

"Ug, don't remind me. We've got two and a half months left as High School Seniors then we have to start all over again as Freshmen. I like being the high man on the totem pole."

"I know, Baby. I've already met with the staff advisor for the cheerleading squad there. I won't even be qualified to be considered for captain until I'm a Junior. It's going to feel so whack not being in charge."

Ron sat straight up and stretched. "Maybe when they see your bon-diggity moves, they'll change their minds."

She sat up with him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him tight. "Thanks, Baby. It'll be okay, you'll see. I don't care about your test scores, if they pass on you they are the ones being ferociously stupid. Who cares if you can pass a pressure cooker test like that."

"That's just it, KP. If I ever wanted to be Sous chef or even head chef…heck if I wanted to own my own place, that _is_ a pressure cooker. It may not be the same material but the stress is the same. I've got to come through in the clutch over and over and over and if you fail there, they don't just write an F on your paper, they come and repossess your car and your house."

Kim rubbed his shoulder. "That there is why you're doing so much better now. Before you didn't realize how important all this work really was. Otherwise you'd end up thirty years old working at Bueno Nacho, wishing you hadn't been such a slacker in school. Even if you do end up going to the Community College a couple years first, you're going to make so much more out of yourself. You'll see. Now, let's put that behind us until the scores come back. I'm getting in the mood for something."

Ron's eyebrows shot up.

"No, silly, not that. I want ice cream. Just hope I can taste it." She giggled slightly as Ron tried to emulate the Puppy-Dog-Pout.

"Fudge Ripple?"

"Do you even need to ask?" She held out her arms, wrapping them around him in a tight hug. Leaning back slightly she kissed him anyway, getting into it until she blew a tiny nose bubble, sending both of them into peals of laughter. At least until she started coughing again.

She watched him go. Being sick seemed terribly wrong. They had the house to themselves all night long and would for most of the rest of the day and even though she felt sore, weak and slightly groggy from the medicine she had been taking, she thought he was looking extra hot. He was so sweet moving to the chair when she fell asleep but she still preferred being right by his side when they had the opportunity to spend the night together. She still wouldn't take him to her room without permission but the couch had always seemed okay for them.

He sat back down beside her, handing her a bowl and a spoon. She eyed him for a moment, wondering why he brought her just a bowl and not the whole quart until she noticed there was steam coming from it.

"Chicken Soup?" She asked, holding it with both hands.

"I know, it's the oldest cliché in the book, but I'm Jewish so it works." He dipped the spoon into the bowl and held it up to her mouth. "This canned stuff isn't as good as I can make, but that would take all afternoon to simmer properly so this will have to do."

Kim took the offered spoonful, then held he bowl up to her face, breathing the steam in as much a she could before sipping directly from the bowl. She wiped a noodle off the corner of her mouth. "I'm starting to eat like you."

"Just make sure you eat it all, even the little dark meat bits. I'll be right back." She could hear him moving around in the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with his own bowl and grilled cheese sandwiches.

"This is what Mom makes for me when I'm sick. I swear the 'Jewish Penicillin' thing is really true."

She bit hungrily into her sandwich. He'd used real butter in the pan and the good American cheese and even though her sense of taste was severely diminished, it was wonderful. It was way past lunch time and she had no idea how hungry she was. Before he could even protest she took his bowl of soup and started downing it. He just smiled and cleared up the empty plates. Then he came back with the ice cream, though it was scooped out into bowls.

"If you want some more, I'll get it for you." He said, sitting close beside her.

"That's good, Baby. Tell me, since I told you I was in the mood for ice cream and got a whole meal instead, what would you have done if I'd been in the mood for something…fun?" She smiled wickedly at him, squeezing his knee.

"I always go all out for my KP." He flinched slightly when she touched his cheek. "Eep, ice cream fingers!"

Kim set her empty bowl down. "You know, I think your 'medicine' is working. Come here and let me warm my ice cream fingers up."

Ron shivered a little, but didn't flinch again as she did just that.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	40. Part XL

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XL**

* * *

"Really, Ron, I'm fine now." Kim shifted her cough drop from one side of her mouth to the other as her boyfriend put the back of his hand to her forehead.

"I dunno, KP, last night you really started hacking."

"Just a lingering cough. It'll go for a couple days then you'd never know I was even sick. You sure you're still feeling okay?" She put her own hand to his forehead after brushing his shaggy locks out of the way.

"I don't get sick, KP, you know that."

"Okay, then what was that after we went after Ray-X?"

"Sympathy symptoms? Hey, I've got an idea. When Doctor Director lets us go, why don't we call in a ride and have you go sneeze on Dementor and Motor Ed?"

"Let's not and say we did." Kim was flipping through her history book. The class was nearly done with the main textbook, having recently moved into recent events. Kim had already covered the material on the Vietnam War and was pushing ahead so she would be ready for the class discussions. "What do you think the assignment's going to be? The only time's I've been given detention Barkin was in charge and all he did was sit in the front and glower at us."

"Dunno, KP. Kinda freaked me out when she said it was going to be in here. Ah, the memories."

"Ron, we only moved on from the cooking portion of Home Ec a couple weeks ago and let me tell you, there isn't anyone more thankful than me. I'm going to have to ace the rest of the course to even come up with a B. I am so glad this course is pass/fail." She stopped as a photograph in her textbook caught her eye. Getting up, she went over to a cabinet and got out a magnifying glass. Not satisfied with that she pulled out her Kimmunicator. "Wade, can you enhance a photo for me?" She held the copy pickup over the picture.

"Sure thing, Kim, but it's not going to be easy. They use a pretty crude dot matrix printing method in those books…done!"

"Okay, Wade, enhance the three people at the far left of the group." The display changed, bringing the trio of soldiers in the picture into sharp relief.

Wade appeared in a small window on the tiny screen. "Want me to blow that up with the holographic projector?"

"Please and thank you." She waited until the image was floating in the air above the projector before getting Ron's attention. "Baby, when we first took Home Ec, where was it Barkin said he served?"

"Something like the jungles of Hi Guy." He looked at the picture and his eyes got huge.

"That was in my history book. It's a picture of a group of marines in a force recon unit during something called Operation Jai Alia."

"Kim, is that Barkin?" Wade asked.

"Yep." She nodded.

"Is that actually Doctor Director standing with him?"

"Yes, but not the one you're thinking of. Betty Director was already with GJ when this picture was taken. That's Wilma Director, our principal."

"Then who is the other guy?" Their tech master asked.

"Colonel Dean Snyder. My CO and you're English Teacher." Principal Director explained as she walked up behind the two teens. "Been doing a little digging on me?" She asked, tapping her foot.

Kim shut off the Kimmunicator. "Actually no." She held up the textbook, pointing to the photo.

"Interesting. I wasn't even aware that photo was in there. So, Miss Possible, what do you think about all that?"

"I think it's a ferociously strange coincidence the three of you served together in the Marines before all ending up in the same school some fifteen years later."

"What conclusion would you draw from that coincidence? You think we are all part of some conspiracy to keep an eye on you or to foil your activities?"

Ron held up his finger as if he were going to speak but Kim just laid a hand on his arm. "Right now I don't have enough information to jump to that kind of conclusion, but that would be a very interesting theory."

"So the fact I retired from the Marines over eight years ago, finished my doctorate in education and just happened to be assigned to this school by the board isn't a good enough explanation?" She cocked an eyebrow but otherwise didn't look upset by the direction of the conversation.

"That would be my hope, but in my line of work it pays to consider the other options."

"I see. So now I expect you are actually going to be doing that digging?"

Kim tapped the picture in the book for emphasis. "Whatever's in the public record is fair game."

"True enough." Wilma agreed. "So, once everyone is here we can get on with this."

"Who are we waiting for?" Ron asked.

"One more student and one guest. In the mean time, I have something you may be interested in

Mister Stoppable." She pulled an envelope out of her attaché. "Normally it takes several weeks for these results to come back, but a rush order was put in. After all, it's all done by computers anyway."

"You mean?" Kim and Ron asked together.

"It's your SAT results. Considering the lateness of the date it's a good thing the testing companies were amenable to the request." She set the tan colored envelope down on the table in front of him.

Ron stared at it for a moment. Ever since Saturday he had been steeling himself to wait the expected two to three weeks before they came back. It seemed easy to consider such a thing as being out of sight and out of mind. Now it was sitting on the desk in front of him as if it were about to come to life like the totem pole and attack him. Inside was a number that would mean he still had a chance of getting into the most prestigious school in the area or whether he was doomed to some lesser institution. Sweat broke out on his forehead, though it didn't have anything to do with the pleasant temperatures outside.

"Get the score over one thousand." His interviewer had said back in the Winter. With a glance at Kim, who was already biting her lower lip, he reached for the envelope. His fingers almost wouldn't work as he pulled the tear-away strip off. Trying to make his heart slow down he unfolded it and looked.

His face fell once his eyes centered on the number.

Nine hundred ninety nine.

"So close." He whispered, letting the slip of paper fall back to the table. As Kim's hand touched his arm he realized he was actually trembling.

"Let me see that." Kim picked it up and examined the results. "Ron, you improved your math portion over two hundred points. The only thing that brought your total score down was the English portion."

"So." He dropped his head down onto his arms. "Just goes to show I spent too much time on the math and not enough on the other. Still means it isn't good enough. They guy said it had to be over a thousands to even consider me. One point, one lousy freaking point! Booyah denied by one little point."

Rufus climbed out onto his shoulder and started stroking his ear.

"Let me see that." Wilma said, taking the paper from Kim's outstretched hand. "You said he improved the math portion by two hundred? If I remember correctly, wasn't your previous score eight hundred thirty?"

"Something like that." Ron said dejectedly.

"Ron." The older woman started, trying to get his attention using just his first name. "Did you know that you can combine your two top scores for the actual total?"

"Huh? I don't get it." His head rose just a bit from his arms.

Kim activated her Kimmunicator and punched a few buttons before handing it to the principal. "Those are his old scores."

She took it and looked at both sets of scores. "Well, Mister Stoppable, according to this, your final SAT score is one thousand forty." She handed the paper back to him and set the Kimmunicator on the table in front of Kim.

He sat there for a moment that seemed like an hour but was only about a minute. Finally he looked up at Kim who was positively beaming. "You did it, Baby." She said softly.

"I'm going to go see if our guest is here yet." Wilma gave Kim a solid wink before walking out, closing the door behind her.

Ron barely got out of his chair before Kim planted a huge kiss on his lips. Then she grabbed his shoulders and started hopping up and down. She kissed him again until she heard the doorknob rattling inordinately loudly. They jumped back into their seats as the principal came back into the room.

"The other student is still tied up with her sixth period teacher and she'll be here in a moment. Our guest is running a little late and should be here shortly as well. Since It's now after three o'clock I don't see why we can't begin." She went over to the large refrigerator that served the classroom, pulling out a brown grocery bag with her name written in magic marker.

"Normally, detention is supposed to simply be a quiet time that students should best use for study, though how anybody can concentrate on anything with Steve Barkin staring at them, I have no clue. Now, even though that is what he usually does when he is in charge, assignments are still within the authority of the faculty member in charge. Be that as it may, the assignments I have prepared for the two of you are completely voluntary considering their nature. If you wish to complete them, you may leave as soon as they are complete. If not, then we will begin the standard hour of detention.

"Mister Stoppable, your assignment is, to the best of your ability using these facilities, recreate one of the meals you prepared at the Middleton Days Festival for five." She opened the bag and laid out the contents. "Do you think you can do that?"

He looked at the meat and other ingredients she had. "I think we've got some of the things we need left. I'll have to broil it since we don't have a real grill here, but I can manage something."

"So you agree to this assignment."

"Yes, yes, yes!" He said brightly, already heading for the kitchen area.

"Please tell me you don't want me to cook too?" Kim glanced over at the bank of ovens, where Ron was already tying on an apron.

Wilma shook her head. "I'm not stupid. No, you and I are going to sit down and have a little talk with somebody while Mister Stoppable works. Same conditions apply. You can choose to have this little sit-down or you can sit in here and study."

"Let me guess. The other student we're waiting for is Bonnie?"

"That is correct."

Kim frowned, looking at the door like her doom was about to walk through it. "This isn't going to be one of those 'lock us in a room and only one comes out' things, is it?"

"No. I am going to be in the room as well. I want a civilized discussion about what is going on between the two of you. I will only be there to moderate."

"Okay. I'll talk to her."

"Very well. Follow me."

Bonnie was already sitting at a desk in the classroom next door. "Miss Rockwaller, I'll give you the same offer I gave Miss Possible. You can either serve a standard detention period or the three of us can have a little chat."

"I don't have anything to say to _her_." Ice dripped from her voice as she crossed her arms angrily.

"I rather suspect you do." The principal said calmly.

Bonnie just glared at Kim.

"If you chose the detention, it goes on your record as such. If you chose my first option, this is the end of the matter. What's it going to be?"

"Fine, I'll talk." She tightened her arms, shooting Kim a look that said, _well?_

Kim turned a desk around to face the other cheerleader, then turned to the principal before she sat down. "Some things may need to be said that might not sit too well with you. If we're going to try and clear the air, they need to be said."

Wilma took a seat at the Teacher's desk. "Say what you need to. I reserve the option to act if I learn something that requires it, but otherwise, what is said in here will not leave this room."

Looking Bonnie right in the eye, Kim started. "Did you go through my bags at Wannaweep?"

The brunette looked at Kim, then at the principal, who simply gave her a look that said _go on_.

She forced herself to look her rival in the eyes. "Yes."

"Why?" Kim kept her eyes locked on her.

"It was just for spite. I…I was just curious, that's all. Like I told those other people, I didn't take your suit, I swear." She turned toward Wilma. "I mean it, I didn't take it."

Kim kept her voice very even. "I know that. I suspected it, but now I know that was just a very unfortunate coincidence. That's beside the point. You found something in there, something very personal…" She turned around and spoke to Principal Director. "It's completely legal and legitimate, just personal."

"I understand."

She turned back to her. "The only people who knew about that before were my mother and my doctor. Ron knew about them only in the most general terms. You went and told your friends about it, completely misunderstanding the reason. You violated my privacy and spread it as rumor just to hurt me. Am I right or am I wrong?"

Bonnie just nodded, glancing every so often at the older woman.

Kim went on. "Then you told that same person I overheard you talking to you wanted Ron for yourself. You made him think you wanted to be his friend but you used that just to get him away from me. Why? Was it just another way you wanted to hurt me, to get back at me for something I've never even done to you?"

"You're wrong, Kim. I wanted your Ron to be my friend and I wanted my own Ron but after I got back from Yamanuchi I realized there is only one. I know a friend was all he could ever be to me but I still had to try."

"They why did you make him promise to keep it all a secret? Do you know what kind of hurt that did? Do you know what it did to him when you blew up at him for telling me something as simple as the two of you being friends? Are you so caught up in your 'food chain' that being his friend is less important than what other people think of you?"

"NO! That's not it at all!" Bonnie shrieked. "Not it at all." She whispered, sinking back down to her seat.

"Then what? You threw his friendship back in his face and hurt him. You hurt him because he puts his love for me first and I used that to force him to tell me. You got that? I forced him to tell me what that secret is and I'm sorry I did. I made the man I love break a solemn vow he made in good faith just because I was too insecure to trust him."

Bonnie looked at the wall. "I made him promise me because I thought I was falling in love with him."

"You love him?" Kim said with open eyed shock.

"I don't know. I really don't know any more. I don't know if I was falling in love with him or the idea of him or I just wanted what the two of you have. It's not that simple, not that cut and dried. If I knew, I'd just tell him."

They sat there for a few minutes, neither of them looking at the other.

"Bonnie, did you take that picture of Ron and me?"

She nodded, still not looking at her.

"Why?" Kim asked softly, guessing what the answer probably was.

"Because you had me arrested for stealing that suit!" She growled back.

"Bonnie, look at me." Kim ordered. "I told Global Justice you knew what was in my bags and the only way you would have known that was to go into them. I did not tell them to arrest you. They simply acted like the police. You had opportunity and motive and until they figured out there was no way you were the one with it, they had to do something. I'm sorry as I can be everyone misunderstood the facts, but I was bound to tell them as I knew them. I wasn't out to get you or punish you or anything like that. I never have been save for stupid little things like unplugging your alarm clock or using up the hot water. That was too serious for me to even consider something so petty. So there you go. I'm sorry. I was wrong though I was acting in good faith."

"Then I'm sorry I took that picture." She looked away again, slumping down in the seat.

Kim got up and walked over to Principal Director's temporary desk. "As the chair of the Yearbook Committee, I formally request Bonnie Rockwaller be restored to the yearbook staff and in addition I personally request it include being restored to the school paper as well."

"Are you certain?" Wilma asked, looking the teen directly in the eyes.

"Yes."

"Very well. It's done, on the condition it is a probationary restoration. Any other incidents and you will be off the staff permanently. Is that understood, Miss Rockwaller."

"Yes ma'am." She said quickly.

"Okay. Miss Possible, please take your seat. We've heard your grievances. Now it's your turn Miss Rockwaller."

"I…really don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said." She replied, though she was looking Kim right in the eye. "I just want to know why you did that."

"It's simple. I love Ron very much and he has been asking me to end this feud with you for months. Hopefully it can end here. I'm not your friend but I don't have to be your enemy either. You were being punished for taking that picture and I want you to know that was not something I did to get revenge. In the end Ron and I haven't come to harm over it and you said you were sorry. So you're forgiven and we don't need to speak of this ever again. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Very well." Wilma said, getting up from her seat. "I believe we are done here. Let's go see how Mister Stoppable is progressing with his…_punishment_."

"One more thing." Kim said, looking straight at Bonnie. "I think there is one more person who needs to be apologized to."

Bonnie nodded. "I will. Just let me do it in private, okay."

"Fair enough." Kim rose as the principal guided the two teens out of the room.

* * *

Ron was working so furiously in the kitchen he didn't notice the man who had entered the room. He stood off to the side, watching him with keen interest. To his practiced eye he knew what the young man was doing and he marveled at his inventiveness, using terribly inferior equipment to literally create art.

He shook the three women's hands as they entered the room. "Mister Reynolds, this is Bonnie Rockwaller and Kim Possible, students here at Middleton High School. Ladies, this is Frank Reynolds, the chairman of the admissions committee at Middleton College.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Possible." He shook her hand again. "My daughter is absolutely nuts about you."

"Reynolds? Are you he gentleman who interviewed Ron last January?"

"Yes indeed. I know I was supposed to meet with him in a few weeks, but Wilma here invited me for a little snack this afternoon and, considering some events that have recently taken place, I readily agreed."

Kim's eyes lit up. "We just got Ron's SAT results. He did very well!"

"Fantastic. That certainly means my decision was the right one."

She cocked her head at him, listening intently.

"A week ago Friday I took my kids to the fair at the Middleton Days Festival. We were standing in line at the ice cream and cotton candy stand when my daughter spotted you so she whisked us right out of that line and into the one you were in. What I didn't realize at first was that you weren't in the line, you were acting as Hostess. Then we sat down and actually had the best dinner I've ever had at a fair.

"The next day I started making some calls. Since you were there, I assumed your boyfriend was as well. What surprised me was finding out he actually put all that together himself. What utterly shocked me was how he managed to do it in less than two days. Let me tell you. I know that business. What he did is nothing short of a miracle.

"Taking that into consideration, Monday I went ahead and made a formal recommendation to my board that Mister Stoppable be offered a spot in our program next fall, pending financials. Since I'm the chairman, it's all a rubber-stamp from this point."

"Ron's going to Middleton this fall?"

He nodded in response.

"YES!" Kim screamed, leaping at him and wrapping her arms around him.

Ron finally looked up from his work as he plated out five cuts of meat and a rice side. The first thing he saw was the look of utter joy on Kim's face.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	41. Part XLI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLI**

* * *

The Tuesday morning following their 'detention' reality set back in. At least this time they were ready to take it head on. Well, at least Kim was. With what they considered their biggest hurdle behind them they were finally free ton concentrate on the waning days of their high school career. The fact of the matter was, though, there was still a lot of work to be done before it was all over.

That day they left school an hour and a half later after eating and discussing Ron's next steps with Mr. Reynolds. By that point the man was most concerned about his family's ability to pay for the education since he wasn't qualified for any scholarship money like Kim was. Ron didn't bring up the fact his financials were already taken care of, preferring to wait until he could tell his father and proceed from there. As Gene Stoppable had already told him, part of his trust fund had already been set aside for his education.

Kim was exuberant. Principal Director didn't say a word when she rushed up to Ron and planted a great big kiss right on his face. Apparently there were appropriate time to show affection on school grounds and even if this wasn't, she was more than willing to take any punishment the woman dealt her. Before long they would quit this place and she could kiss him any time she felt like it.

Once they finished their small but delicious feast, Bonnie took Ron aside for a few minutes. Kim didn't overhear what was said but let that pass since she did promise her privacy. The two of them shared a short hug before the other cheerleader left. She had no doubt in her mind Ron would readily accept the girl's apology. That was just his way, getting very mad for a short period of time before his mind let the matter go. He would probably be wary of her from now on and in her estimation that was a good thing but it was nice to know everyone had finally come to some sort of understanding.

It did make her just a little sad that the only reason she had offered Bonnie her forgiveness was for Ron's sake. Still, that was behind them now. It was very likely her old rival would fall back into her old ways but that she found she could live with. In a couple months school would be over and they would part company, perhaps forever.

Later, as they pulled out of the parking lot Kim was giving Ron 'the look.' Her eyes were half lidded and her lips were flushed, barely curled at the edges in a 'Mona Lisa' smile. It was clear she was feeling _very_ romantic and wanted to celebrate Ron's success with him in that very special way. Even his sometimes sluggish mind got the message. A celebration of this sort would be a very special moment indeed.

They should have known better.

The sitch was perfect. Her mother was starting a heavy rotation at the Medical Center, her father had a late meeting. The twins were over at Cousin Larry's doing heaven knows what in cyberspace. They would have all the privacy they wanted or needed.

A quick call to Wade would be all it took to put up the electronic 'do not disturb' sign. There was always the chance some vile monster or huge automaton would attack, but what were the chances something like that would actually interrupt them again?

_Don't answer that_ rolled through both their heads.

Halfway to Kim's house, Ron started sneezing. He crossed his fingers it was just the early pollen flying around the atmosphere considering it was almost spring. That wasn't the case. By the time Kim got him into the recliner the same bug that had stolen her weekend jumped on him with both feet. This was no mere attack of hay fever, his 'fortress of immunity' had been breached. Kim gave his mother a quick call and told her she would set him up in the guest room for one more night. He stayed there the night before on the off-chance he actually did have the bug and didn't want to pass it on to his mother in her condition.

"Sub un _ib_ tellib us sub din." Ron sputtered as she handed him a big bowl of chicken and rice soup. She understood him perfectly 'someone is telling us something.' The same thought had been on her mind from the moment he started sneezing. What was going to happen the next time they were feeling _romantic_? Earthquake? Flood? Massive alien attack?

He looked warily at the bowl and then back up at Kim. She narrowed her eyes at him and very gently kicked his propped up ankle. "Relax, I just heated it in the microwave. I know it's not as good that way but you have to admit, with me it's safer. I mean, how can I screw up opening a can and pouring it into a bowl? Same thing with bologna sandwiches, I think I'll leave grilled cheese to you."

"Ib fine." Ron said, not bringing up the fact the soup was very thick and strong since she didn't realize you had to add water. At least it was edible and with his nose stopped up that way, he could actually taste is a little bit. Not being sick often, Ron wasn't used to the symptoms. He was utterly miserable though at least he wasn't having the coughing fits. Fortunately for him it managed to stay in his head for the most part, though he did get the chills and body aches.

He did manage a smile when Kim put on one of her mother's lab coats and played 'nurse Kim.'

It didn't help that over the next week both Bonnie and Principal Director came down with it as well. Buried hatchet or no, the other teen still blamed Kim since she was in fact 'patient zero,' though she never got abusive over it. That was perhaps a way for her to save face with her cronies, though whatever had happened between her and Danika seemingly severed the younger cheerleaders ties with the clique.

Ron was only out of school a day. The bug was vicious and fast and in him it didn't leave a lingering cough so by the end of the week you wouldn't have even known he was sick. He stuck with his theory that some unseen force was making sure the teens kept to their promise to wait. In a test of that idea, he set plans once more late that month and they promptly got an emergency call and ended up fighting Dementor and his Henchmen© (Henchmen – all rights reserved, HenchCo.)

Kim's Mom, who once again had read the signs and guessed what the two of them were up to, had a good laugh when her daughter explained what actually happened. Even if she was prepared to respect any decision the two of them made together, she was secretly happy things were always falling in such a way to keep them on the straight and narrow for the time being.

They set up a sting for the Vigilante Ninja three more times with nary a peep from her. After two failed attempts, they correctly surmised she had gone into hiding. She reappeared early in April during Spring Break but once again failed to show up when the trap was set out for her. Somehow she was aware when it was a trap. That meant they would either have to catch her out of sheer luck or they would have to devise some other means. The fake robbery stings were simply not working. Eventually Global Justice decided that, since she was actually taking out real bad guys, she wasn't important enough to devote any more resources. Their emphasis from the beginning was preventing the technology from falling into even worse hands and it looked like somebody was using the suit as a springboard into becoming a masked crime fighter in the tradition of The Fearless Ferret (without regard to the fact that was actually a TV show that was cancelled after two seasons and not a real superhero.) Betty Director assigned Will Du to the case, effectively putting it on the back burner. Kim was tweaked by that and by the fact her suit was still in unknown hands but she found herself too busy to do much more about it anyway.

April came and went seemingly in a heartbeat, though if you asked either teen at any point along the way, they would have said it was dragging interminably. Their sights were set on the future and two very important dates:

May Nineteenth and June Second. The Prom and Graduation. Beyond that, they were eagerly looking forward to mid to late summer when the two of them would finally turn eighteen.

The traditionally rainy month was full of just that, lots and lots of rain. There were also many minor missions. Besides the garden variety crooks there were rescue missions, Frugal Lucre up to his cheapskate but surprisingly dangerous schemes and a Monkey Fist wannabe calling himself Simius Rex with his trio of trained orangutans. The apes proved to be more comedic than dangerous and were delivered to the same Hollywood animal trainer who had taken in Chippie once their former master was behind bars.

Even with the assistance of a professional accountant, James Possible waited until the last moment to do him fairly complicated taxes. Kim wondered if Burn Berman was actually going to crunch something besides numbers as he tried to unscramble the Possible family's finances.

On tax day itself, it was Ron who wondered if Shego was having a nice birthday. Kim wondered how he could remember that, considering the actual date was unimportant when they discovered the criminal mercenary's real identity.

"Simple, it's the proof that she's really evil, she's born on the most evil day of the year."

"Ron, Tax day isn't evil." Kim chided.

"It is if you saw what my trust fund paid this year. Dad had me sign the papers – it'd give you the creeps. Guess what, Kimila? Next spring you're going to be filing too."

"What for?"

He tapped an envelope sitting on her computer center. "That, my love, is a paycheck which means income taxes to the state and Uncle Sam."

She made an unintelligible sound somewhere between a moan and a growl as she sat down on the bed. "Why should I even have to bother. Between the two of us we've barely made enough to have a good weekend of dates. I think Doctor Director just did that to keep her bean counters off her back. Have you seen what they took out just for travel expenses and for those lack-wits helping us in the hunt for VN? What's going to happen if we have a string of non-GJ missions and nothing from them and we spend more than we're making?"

Ron looked at the ceiling. "Maybe when I get my money I can buy you another plane like I did a couple years ago."

"That's sweet, Ron, but you know from first-hand experience you don't just buy something like that and stick it in the garage until we need it. It costs money to store it, to maintain it, to pay for the FAA license. Even if you weren't forced to sell it so quickly you'd have gone broke just with upkeep. All these people who've been giving us rides all around the globe have really been doing us a real favor."

"Yeah, I know. Just think, when VN starts calling in favors, she's going to start popping up all over the place. Maybe she'll start taking up some of the slack and we can have some free time."

Kim made a rude nose with her nose. "What, start cutting into our hero business. You mean we're going to have to pay her a call and tell her to back off like Team Impossible tried with us?"

"If we could do that, then we wouldn't have such a hard time finding her, would we?"

"Doy." Kim lay back on her bed with her hands behind her head. Ron got up and sat down beside her, playing with her hair.

"She doesn't have rides." Kim said thoughtfully.

"At least she's not rolling up on a caper in a Chevette. I thought even Will was going to break out laughing last week."

"No, Ron, get it, she doesn't have rides. Every time she's popped up it's been in Middleton or just nearby like Upperton and Lowerton. She's purely local."

"So? The Fearless Ferret always worked just in Metrotham." He started playfully tracing her exposed belly button.

Kim caught the look in his eyes. "If you even think of giving me a belly raspberry I'm so going to kick your biscuit and you can forget any kissing."

He had a mock wounded expression. "Would I do something like that?"

She didn't answer, but sat up taking his target away from him. "Being serious here, Ron. GJ thinks she's a pro after that last attempt. I'm starting to think she's not. A pro would have realized they were falling into a pattern by now and it's not just being around town. She always strikes fairly early in the evening, never after midnight. If the baddies figure that out, they'll just start doing more in the early morning before dawn."

"Okay, but what about all the fancy stuff she did with the suit. She's found capabilities Wade didn't even realize and he built the thing."

"I know. That's what I don't get. That should have ruled out Bonnie a long time ago. She's smart, but she doesn't have that kind of education."

"Got me." He said, nuzzling her ear.

Kim rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to figure out a sitch and all you're thinking about is making out. Come on, Ron, get your head in the game."

"Sorry, KP, I'm a guy, it's what we do. Besides, I'd rather get my head into your hair." He put his face deep in her mane and took a deep breath. "It smells so good."

She gave him a brief kiss. "You're hopeless."

"Well, Kim, maybe VN had a point. She's trying to be one of the good-guys. She doesn't know how much that suit's worth and maybe she doesn't care. If all she does is fight crime then what's the bad?"

"The bad, Ron, is she's not trained. The suit isn't bullet proof."

"It's got the shields."

"Which are thought activated and I don't even know if it would come up fast enough to stop a bullet. She's either going to get hurt, hurt somebody or get somebody hurt. That's something we've always had to worry about." She stopped and looked at Ron.

He was doing his best to put on a 'serious face' but was failing miserably. She chuckled slightly and then started giggling.

"You're incorrigible." She smiled, putting her hands on top of his.

"Have no idea what that means." He twined his fingers with hers. "But you do look bon-diggity in that top and those shorts are doing things to me." He let go of her hand and touched her bare waist.

"Behave yourself, loverboy. Everyone's home right now." She was almost cut off as he leaned in for a kiss. With a glance at her open hatch she gave into it. After all, it was just a kiss.

A very warm, very long passionate kiss that curled both their toes.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	42. Part XLII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLII**

* * *

Ron sat at his computer, trying to concentrate. He wasn't having a very good time of it. He had everything he needed. The material was fresh in his mind, he knew what he wanted to write about, his notes were sitting beside him on the desk and Wade had installed the latest version of the word processor her used.

Even with all that he just sat there staring at a blank piece of electronic 'paper.'

It wasn't so much there was too much on his mind. He'd learned to deal with juggling many things, 'compartmentalizing' as Kim called it. Of course there was a major Trig test on Friday, a history test on Thursday, the Prom was just over two weeks away and the "Senior Vestiture" ceremony was that week as well. That was the day when they would officially put on their graduation robes for the first time, in preparation for graduation in exactly one month. The time everyone said would be the best time his life was slipping away faster and faster, making him wonder where it was all going.

No, that was not what was distracting him. It was the bodaciously hot redhead in black low-rider jeans and a shimmering, spaghetti strap purple crop top stretched out on his bed reading a thick book that had all his attention.

It was strange. They could study together. They could read together. They could even work on projects together. Almost everything involving school work they could do together and he loved that. Except for one little thing. When it came to writing Ron had to be absolutely and totally alone. It had nothing to do with embarrassment over his passable skills doing so, it was simply a quirk he had developed, one he never recognized until he actually knuckled down and got serious about his school work. To write effectively he had to have the door closed, the blinds drawn and everything quiet except for outside sounds.

This was why he still had trouble with essay questions during tests.

Trying his best to come up with an opening line, he put his hands on the keyboard. He had come a long way from the days he used his father's hand-me-down black and white computer. Wade had outfitted him with state-of-the-art hardware (at least it was when he installed it – five minutes later it was obsolete!) He had a wireless laser mouse, a wireless 'comfort' style split keyboard, a trackball and even a digital drawing pad. However, none of that stuff was any good unless you could actually get your fingers to start entering stuff.

He glanced over at Kim, who was propped up on a stack of pillows. She never looked more beautiful and that had nothing to do with the 'hottie' outfit she wore that day (well, that did help – a lot.) It was the expression on her face. She wasn't smiling or scowling or frowning. She just seemed to be perfectly at peace. It was a lot like what she looked like when she was asleep, only with her eyes open, the glittering green visible as it tracked along the text she was busy studying.

Those beautiful orbs looked up from her book and looked right at him. "Ain't working, is it?"

"Sorry, KP. I just can't forget you're right over there." He clicked off the program, letting his wallpaper come back up. He rotated it from time to time but it was still set on the picture Kim's brothers had sent out of her covered in moisturizer. "Paper's not due until Friday anyway, guess I'll work on it after I drop you off tonight."

"Don't wait too long. Wouldn't want 'old Ron' resurfacing again."

"You'd love me anyway." He leaned on the back of his chair, leering at her. Kim closed her book and craned her neck, brushing her hair back with her fingers, almost causing Ron's tongue to roll out of his mouth.

There was a quiet knock on his bedroom door. "Are you two decent?" Ron's mother called.

"No, Mom, we're naked!" He shouted just before getting beaned with a small pillow.

The door opened and Jean surveyed the room, looking from Ron at his desk to Kim sitting on the bed with a book. "Either the two of you are getting too fast for an old woman to catch or you were actually studying." She grinned at the teens. Sitting down on the edge of his chest of drawers the smile slowly faded.

"I'm afraid I've got some bad news, Ron." She looked right at him, meeting his eyes.

He looked down below her crossed arms at the slight roundness forming at her waist, then back up at him.

"No, Catherine Jean is just fine. I'm talking about your father's tuxedo. I know you had your heart set on wearing it again this year, but I just took out the stitching in the hem. I'm afraid it's already been let out as much as possible. My big man." She added softly, smiling again.

"Aw, man. I wanted to start a tradition."

Kim got up and put her hands on his shoulders. "There's always that black tux Joe gave you." She whispered softly. "It did look a far sight better on you anyway. You did look spankin at that dog show with it."

Jean shook her head. "No dice. It'd be easy enough to get more black pants for it, but there's no way to let out the jacket enough. Looks like we've got some tux shopping to do."

"You know what that means?" Kim sing-songed, giving his shoulders a squeeze.

"Uh, uh. No way, forget it. You're not going to play dress-up with me KP. The Ron-man dresses for himself." He held up his index finger and placed his other hand over his heart.

"Ron, please don't take this the wrong way, but when it comes to fashion, you are utterly clueless."

"I do okay." He pleaded.

"Son, you wear the same outfit almost every day, and when you don't you wear sweatshirts or bowling shirts and I'll be the first to admit, that baby-blue tux was out of style when your father bought it originally."

Kim pulled his mop of hair back off of his forehead. "Maybe you can get something more hip and you can fix up your hair. You gotta admit, even your black tux was a little 'old school.'"

He just waved his hands in front of him. "No, I've made up my mind. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it on my own."

Both Mrs. Stoppable and the potential future Mrs. Stoppable looked each other in the eye, before said ocular organs rolled upwards.

* * *

"He just won't listen to reason, Monique. What am I going to do?" Kim slumped against the counter at Club Banana as her friend finished ringing up some customers.

"Kim, don't stress about it. Look at it this way, Ron isn't the same weird little guy he was this time last year. No matter how you remember that night now, he rolled up at the Prom in an outfit that would have had people laughing at him for days if he hadn't shown up holding hands with you. I mean laughing at him, not with him. Cruelly."

"That's what I'm afraid of, Mon. I just went by the formal wear store and there are still tuxes that, well, you'd have to be a rock star or an athlete to pull off. I'm just worried he's going to show up in some mustard yellow zoot suit and embarrass me."

Monique bagged the rest of the clothes and stepped from around the counter. "Here's this trust issue again, Kim. Yeah, I'll kick his butt myself if he rolls in something like that. Pale blonde boys just don't belong in those threads. Then again, so what if he does rent something like that. What're you gonna do, dump him? Cause if you are, I call dibs, Felix or no."

"Mon, we're talking about me being angry with him, not dumping him. This Prom is special, even more so than last year. It's our one-year anniversary you know. Well, Saturday after is, but the Prom counts."

"Uh huh. What is it with you two and anniversaries? You celebrate the day you met, the first time you kissed. Bet we'll know for sure when you two finally go all the way cause one year later you'll celebrate that." She grinned smugly at her friend.

Kim rolled her eyes. "So not. It's just fun doing stuff like that…and those dates are important but right now this is the big one."

"Yeah. Tell you what I'm seeing, you want to be in control and he's not letting you."

"Puh-lease, Mon. I do not have to be in control."

"Then let him pick out a tux himself. Besides, the guys working at the formal wear place are smart, they're not going to let him do anything really stupid, unless he insists."

"Oh, he'd insist I bet. I just think he should go in something nice, something modern."

"Something that suits you." Monique retorted. "Sounds a lot like your natural Kimness starting to bubble to the top again."

"Well I am Kim." She snarled back.

She pulled a tiny, hot pink dress off the rack and held it up to Kim. "Bet you haven't even considered what you're going to wear, have you?"

Kim smiled softly. "Oh, that's set in stone. Just hope it still fits."

Monique eyed her up and down. "Girlfriend, your bony butt hasn't grown a centimeter in the last year." She pointed to her top. "Now, that part might even fit just a little better this time around."

She tried looking down at her chest. "Really?"

Cocking her head, Monique continued. "Maybe. I'm thinking half a cup size at most. Anyway, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not. I don't care about the scorched hem and even if I did, shorter dresses are in this year. It wouldn't take anything to cut the burned part out."

"Not what I'm talking about, Kim. If Ron was going to wear his Dad's tux again, I wouldn't say a word, but since he can't that means you've got to come up with something else yourself."

"Why, it's a perfectly good dress…and it was expensive. I had to do a ton of babysitting to pay for it."

"That's not the point. Ron didn't pick out that dress." She pointed at the dressing rooms for emphasis.

"No, I did. What's that got to do with anything?"

Monique shook her head slowly. "You may have picked it off the rack, but that was with a whole lot of other dresses and let me tell you, some of them were just plain awful. In the end, it wasn't you that picked it…do I need to go on?"

"What are you…oh." She realized what Monique was dancing around then. Her friend knew better than to mention that name, that one most hated name.

Erik.

"You should buy that dress." He said, just as he came in. Would it have even mattered if she still had the poofy nightmare Monique said to pull off and throw away?

"You're right, and Ron was standing not ten feet away from me when that happened. Oh, I'm an idiot." She put her forehead in her palm.

"No you're not, you have the sense to hang around with me to keep you from making those kinds of mistakes. Now, I'm not letting you get away so easily as Ron did from you." She thrust the little pink dress right into Kim's hands. It was literally even smaller than her black dress, and backless to boot.

"Okay, that is a great big 'not!' I want something a little more elegant, a little more grown up. Something a little more _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ instead of looking like a junior high girl in a 'take me now' outfit."

Monique held out her hands, using them to frame Kim. "I definitely see the Possible possibilities." She started giggling when Kim groaned. She pulled a flowing red dress covered in glittering sequins from the rack.

"No, too _Jessica Rabbit_ and I don't think barely half a cup size is going to come close to helping me pull off that look." Kim said, eyeing the gaudy dress. "I want something that says hottie and elegance, all at the same time."

"Hmmm. More grown up you say?" She pulled one more dress from the rack.

"Now that I'm going to try on." Kim's eyes lit up as it was passed to her hands.

* * *

Ron eyed the dusty old store as if it were some trap set by one of their old adversaries. He was certain some nasty spider was going to drop down for a dark nook any moment and bite him. The whole place looked like something time had forgotten.

It certainly wasn't the formal wear store at Middleton Mall. Ron may have been successful forbidding Kim and his mother from helping him pick out his Prom tux but Gene Stoppable was a whole other ball of wax.

Oh, he wasn't stupid. He wasn't the one who was going to be helping his son with his decision. He knew better. Jean teased him for several years when she first saw that powder blue monstrosity hanging in his closet. He thought it was the greatest thing in the world back when he bought it, only to leave it hanging in its bag when he didn't find a date. Why he hadn't thrown it away in all those years, he didn't have a clue. He wasn't even aware that Jean had given it to Ron for a mission and hadn't dreamed he would actually wear it to his Junior Prom.

For a moment, Ron thought he was alone in the store with his father. That was until he detected movement from one of the many dusty alcoves. The man moved as if he were floating above the old, thin, faded carpet, looking more like a background character from one of those boy wizard movies than something found in the real world.

"Son, this is Solomon Horowitz. He's probably the best old world tailor still in business here in Middleton."

"Pleased to meet you, young man." His accent spoke of European origins, sounding much like his maternal grandparents, though his was somewhat thicker.

Ron shook his hand, which was far stronger than it seemed. He was actually afraid he would crush such a fragile looking appendage without realizing it.

"So, Eugene, what brings you in here today?" He leaned toward his customer, clasping his hands together over his breast.

"My son is going to his Senior Prom in a couple weeks and he can't fit into my old tux any more, so he needs a new one."

Solomon circled the youth a couple times. "I am surprised you simply did not wish to rent something from the mall." There was just a touch of bitterness in his voice. From the looks of the shop, he wasn't getting too much of that sort of business.

"I believe it's better to support people like you, Mr. Horowitz, just like my father did."

"You do not know how much I appreciate your words, Eugene. Your father was a fine man. So, youngster, what would you like?"

Ron considered a moment. "Well, you see, I'm taking someone really special with me, so I don't want to screw this up. I want something modern, classy and grown up."

"You paint with broad strokes, young man." He took off his jacket and set it aside, rolling up his sleeves. Neither Stoppable had to ask about the number tattooed on his forearm. "Usually, when I have a customer your age they want something…something shall we say, odd?"

"I'm done with odd. Like I said, I want something that makes a statement, something that says I'm not just a weird little boy any more, something that says I'm a man."

The old man took out a tape measure and started directing Ron how to stand so he could take some preliminary measurements. "Are you telling me you trust my judgment when it comes to what you are aiming for?"

"My Dad trusts you, so I suppose I can too."

Solomon nodded. "Most of the time people just tell me they want such and such a style and such and such color."

"Honestly, sir, I don't have a clue about fashion. Last year at the Junior Prom I went in a powder blue tux from the seventies and sneakers. Kim deserves way better than that, but I haven't got the foggiest notion what to tell you. Well, I can tell you I don't want a white jacket and black pants."

"Good, because you are far to fair skinned and fair haired to pull those colors off anyway. Now, later on when you need a wedding tux, then I think a nice white cummerbund and tie would go quite nicely with your yarmulke, but I think something a little more fashion forward is in order here." He held up a small sketch pad, showing a remarkable likeness of Ron wearing what he had in mind.

Both their eyes lit up when they saw it.

"That's perfect!" Ron blurted out.

"Do you have any idea what color dress your 'Kim' is going to be wearing?" He pulled a bundle of colored pencils out of his box of tools.

"Blue, definitely blue. Shimmering sky blue." He said confidently.

Solomon smiled and pulled a pencil out of the bundle.

* * *

Kim poked her head in the door as Monique drove off. Both the cars were home, making it very likely the rest of the family was there getting ready for dinner. She had spent two days shopping with Monique before she made a final decision and the results were in a long plastic hanger bag. Still, she didn't want to chance exposing it to the Tweebs, lest the spoil it before she could even wear it.

Her parents were clearly in the kitchen, but there was no sign of her brothers. She looked up the stairs, listening intently. Finally she picked up their voices coming from outside. Moments later there was a sharp whooshing sound as the launched something from the pad out back.

That was her chance. She made a break for the stairs, taking two steps at a time. She made it to her bedroom in seconds flat, quickly heading for her closet.

The dress was going to be a surprise. There was no need to hide it from her parents. It was sexy but not dirty sexy. It was the picture of pure elegance. The problem was that Ron was in her room so much it seemed he lived there. If this wasn't the night he usually ate dinner with them he would probably be there right then either playing on her computer or trying to sneak a kiss.

The only solution was the one part of her bedroom he couldn't get into (save the second drawer of her nightstand though he knew what was in there.) Pushing her clothes aside she opened her super suit vault, hanging the dress there, bag and all.

That done she turned around and noticed what was sitting on her bed.

There was a package sitting there, wrapped in shiny sky blue paper and bound with a slightly darker blue ribbon. Astride the package was a single rose. There wasn't a note but she smiled anyway, assuming they were from Ron. She picked up the rose, holding it under her nose for a second before setting it on her nightstand. Then, carefully, she unwrapped the package.

There was a CD inside. The cover was simple, with only the artist's name on it; somebody named 'Esteban.' That confused her since she had never heard of him before. Slowly she started wondering if this present was from Ron after all. He knew she wasn't that big on music.

Just to be on the safe side, she scanned the disk for virii before she started the digital jukebox on her computer. What sounded like a run-of-the-mill singer with a high tenor voice was singing love songs in Spanish. She looked at the liner notes, though they weren't very revealing. If the titles had been in Latin or French they might have made some sense to her. As it was she'd have to wait to see Ron in the morning. He spoke a little Spanish.

The song sounded sweet, if a little too much so. She looked at the title again and wondered what it meant.

_Mi Zorro Azul._

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	43. Part XLIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLIII**

* * *

Gene and Jean Stoppable stood behind their son as he took one last look in his dresser mirror. Both of them were absolutely beaming at the tall, handsome man their son had suddenly turned into.

Walking over to his bathroom door, Ron checked himself in the full length mirror mounted there. Just looking at the custom tailored tuxedo he hoped Mister Horowitz was still around when he was ready to get married to Kim. It was beyond perfect. He never, ever thought he could actually look like this.

Rufus popped out of the cargo pocket sewn onto the left leg, giving him a big, double thumbs up (he still wondered if Naked Mole Rats were supposed to have opposable thumbs!) He knew he would be the only guy there with cargo pockets on his tux but that was the beauty of actually having one made instead of renting some dime-a-dozen thing from the mall that had been worn heaven only knows how many times (and considering MHS had their Prom kind of late, what may have been done wearing those outfits!)

"Something's not quite right." He muttered, staring at himself. "Just can't put my finger on it."

"That's just nerves, Son." Gene said, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "You look great, Kim is going to absolutely flip out."

Jean walked up behind him and tweaked his tie. It was a trim, crisp bowtie made of shimmering blue material very similar to Kim's burnt dress. It was meant to compliment the slightly darker blue buttons of the pleated shirt.

"That's it!" Ron said, holding up his finger. Quickly he pulled the tie apart, shocking his mother who had been so proud of him for finally tying it himself. Laying it on his chest-of-drawers he headed for the closet, where the old powder blue tux hung. He may not have been able to wear it any more but he couldn't bear to be parted from it. Jean restored the stitching to the hem, returning it to its condition from last year's dance.

It was what he was wearing the night they fell in love. No, not when he fell in love but the night they both learned what they had been feeling for some time was really true, the night they said those special words to each other, words that were even more true today. He ran a hand down the jacket sleeve. The pants were too short and the chest too snug now. He was five inches taller than the last time he wore that and his shoulders were a couple inches broader. It was clear to him now how goofy he looked in it but the good memories completely overrode that.

His parents looked at each other, wondering what he was thinking. Even the frilly shirt that went with the old tux was too small for him. That's not what he intended to wear, however. There was one part of it he could still wear.

Ron stepped in front of his dresser again and went to work. The book was still sitting open and even though the style was a little different, the same technique applied. Two tries later, he turned back to his parents.

Gene nodded and Jean beamed again. "Now I'm ready." Ron said, patting Rufus on the head.

* * *

Anne Possible was glad the Seniors were given a half-day at school the morning before the Prom. There was just too much to do if things were going to be done properly.

The night before she saw Kim in the dress for the first time. Stepping up behind her daughter, she pulled her hair up into a broad ponytail.

Kim shook her head. "I'm not wearing my hair that way this year. Monique was right telling me not to wear my old dress, so it's not going to be right wearing my hair that way again."

"Then what are you going to do?" Anne asked.

She ran her hair through her hair, fluffing it out. "Ron likes my hair down and full, so I'll just leave it like this."

Anne shook her head ruefully. "I don't think that will work. You went to all the trouble to pick out this beautiful dress. You need to so something special with your hair as well."

That meant the first trip to the beauty salon since the Junior Prom. To Kim's mother the results were splendid. Kim wasn't so sure. "Mom, I feel like my hair is going to break." She touched her temples. "If a sitch comes up tonight I sure won't have to wear a helmet."

"Don't talk like that, Kimmie. The two of you deserve this night to yourselves, without interruption." On that note she walked over to the desk and took the Kimmunicator off of its charging dock, putting it in her lab coat pocket.

"Mom! What if…?"

"If something comes up, somebody else can deal with it tonight. Ron can turn his off and leave it in his pocket as well, if he remembers to even bring it. For one night at least, Team Possible can be just Kim and Ron."

Smiling softly, Kim turned back toward her dresser. She already had her emerald earrings on as well as her promise ring. She pulled her necklace out of her larger jewelry box and put it on.

Anne considered it for a moment, then reached for the pendant, unclasping Ron's large class ring. "For tonight, I think he should wear this. It's just a tad too large to look right with your dress." She folded the clasp back behind the heart locket and stood back looking at her. Making a decision, she reached into her daughter's jewelry.

When Ron had first given Kim the locket on her seventeenth birthday, it had a slightly shorter chain. Anne pulled that chain out and put it on Kim's neck, hanging just above the other. "There, now that's perfect. You're wearing all the jewelry he's given you…so far." She added with a huge grin. "So, are you wearing something _special_ for Ron tonight?"

"Mom!"

"It's okay, Kim. It's just that this might turn into that perfect moment for the two of you and if it does and both of you feel the time is right, that's your decision. If it's done out of love then there is nothing wrong with it."

"I don't think we're going down that road tonight." Kim preened in the mirror, giving her an excuse not to meet her mother's eyes.

"You still haven't answered my question." Anne smiled broadly, sitting down on Kim's bed, watching as she finished up her makeup.

Kim looked over her shoulder at her mother. "White lace. Semi transparent that shows off the bottoms of my cheeks in the back. Happy now?"

"I think Ron will be if he gets a chance to see that." Anne grinned from ear to ear.

"Mom!" Kim repeated, trying to concentrate on applying the 'kiss-proof' lip color. "That's not what tonight's about."

Anne's smile changed to a knowing grin. "The why not simply wear something more comfortable, like your nice pink cotton bikinis with the heart on the front?"

Kim rolled her eyes slightly. "I think those turn him on every bit as much as these lace ones would."

Her mother's eyebrows shot up. "You know this…how?" she was still smiling softly.

Kim turned almost the color of her lipstick. "I just know, okay?"

"Uh huh."

Kim let out a long breath. "Yes, he's seen me in my underwear…briefly. That's mission stuff, though, not time for him to be ogling me. It's just, well, remember when we switched brains?"

"Yes."

"That's what I was wearing. That kind of made an impression on him."

"I see. Honestly, Kim, if the two of you are ready it's okay with me. I seem to recall a dance just about a year ago where a certain daughter got so swept away in the romance of the moment she blew off her curfew and stayed out all night long."

Kim turned around in her chair. "Mom, I'm so glad you're cool with Ron and me but when it comes right down to it, I don't think Daddy is so much. Know what I mean?"

"That's why I'm glad the two of you have waited so far. Still, I think your father is finally coming around to the idea that you are very nearly a grown woman. Just look at you. You look like a golden age movie star."

Kim stood up and looked at herself in her dressing mirror. Her dress was still blue but it was much darker than her old one. It was an off-the-shoulder design, very classic and tasteful. The turned down portion around her shoulders was just slightly lighter blue than the rest, as was a broad diagonal strip resembling a sash that accentuated her hips. The skirt was shorted, cut on a bias with a short split up one leg.

She had to admit her mother had been right about her hair. When she told Monique what she wanted in a dress she did mention Audrey Hepburn and as nice as the dress was, wearing her hair down still made it look too…teenagerish. Now her hair was pulled tightly back like when she wore a high ponytail, but instead of a long waterfall of hair hanging down the back it was done up into a complicated bun the covered most of the back of her head, all held together with a gold colored clasp. In all, her hair, her bare shoulders, her nicely understated jewelry all came together perfectly. Even her white strappy sandals looked just right (considering she had rejected high heals since dancing was involved.)

Anne turned toward the window as she heard a vehicle approach. Sure enough, a car was pulling up in front of the house and it wasn't a little gray Chevette or a royal blue Catalina either. It was shiny and black, every bit as elegant as the dress Kim had on. A wide grin spread across her face as she watched the figure getting out of the back. She glanced back at Kim, who was forgoing watching Ron's arrival, not wanting to be seen in her large windows.

"He's here, isn't he?" Kim gushed, fighting herself about running to the window to watch.

"He's just about to the door." He mother reported, watching his progress.

"Let's go!" Kim was hopping up and down on her feet.

Anne put both hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Not too fast. You still have to make him wait a few minutes before you make your grand entrance."

"I'm ready now, Mom! We've worked so hard to get here."

"I know, Kimmie, but there are certain procedures and traditions to be looked after."

Anne cocked her head to one side, smiling broadly as her daughter's lower lip started protruding. "You know that doesn't work on me. Give me a few minutes before you come out, okay."

"Okay, Mom." Kim agreed, sitting down on her dressing chair in a huff.

* * *

James Possible was dumbstruck when he opened the door, as if he didn't recognize the young man standing on the stoop as the door swung aside.

Even though the changes had happened over a seemingly short year, they had been gradual enough that he hadn't realized they were occurring. Ron was always just Ron and he hadn't changed in many years.

That just wasn't true any more. For the first time James realized his daughter's boyfriend was almost as tall as he was. Ron could look him in the eye without craning his neck. Suddenly he was aware the boy who was never so much a boy as just Ron was now a grown man.

A grown man his daughter loved with all her heart.

That meant, if he was a grown man, what did that make his daughter, who was exactly one week older than him?

Anne reached the bottom of the stairs and took her husband's arm. "Ron, I cannot believe how handsome you look."

"Thanks, Mrs. Dr. P. I…" He stopped as he looked at the top of the stairs.

Kim stood there, looking down at him. Over a year earlier, when she had appeared at the bottom of the stairs for their first trip to the Middleton Days Festival, Ron was the one whose jaw dropped, seemingly to the floor.

This time it was Kim who stood there in silent awe. She had never, ever seen Ron look like this.

He was wearing a black tuxedo. It was a shiny material that caught the light just so you could identify every detail of it. The fit was utterly perfect, from the shoulders right to the length of the pants. The jacket was done up with two gold buttons, with matching buttons on each sleeve. Instead of a puffy shirt he had a simple, understated pleated shirt fastened with glittering blue buttons.

Over the years Ron had been trying to slick back his hair, with little or no success. Now it was clear why he had gone so long without a haircut. It was finally combed back over his head and was staying that way. If it wasn't for his little cowlick in the back she would have wondered if it was even him.

The only thing odd about the whole ensemble was a slightly oversized blue bowtie. She didn't care one little bit about the size. She knew what it was. Ron had found the one thing he could still wear from the old tuxedo and somehow it looked as perfect on him as the rest of the outfit. It even matched the lighter blue parts of her dress perfectly.

She waited a heartbeat, then two before starting down the stairs. Then she realized she didn't have to wait. Her brothers weren't about to come flying by on their latest invention. They were standing at the bottom of the stairs. Tim was holding a video camera and Jim had his digital camera. Both started shooting away.

Neither of the teens said a word as she reached the lower floor. They just stared into each others eyes, unblinking. It was Ron who finally broke the silence. "KP…" He cupped her cheek with his palm, still not taking his eyes off of her.

"Ron…" She replied, touching his face as well.

James caught his eyes as they turned to leave. "Ronald, we just want her to be happy." He smiled as warmly as he could at the young man, no, the man who would one day be his son-in-law.

"I am happy, Daddy." Kim said, taking Ron's hand.

"That's good, cause I would hate to have to bring my colleagues over to fit Ronald for another space probe." He winked at Ron. The old threat had turned into much more of a family joke.

The elder Possibles watched as the kids left. As they got out of earshot, Anne leaned over toward her husband. "I didn't hear you setting a curfew for them."

"I haven't set one for Kimmie-cub in a while. They're responsible enough. Besides, I really don't think those two will be coming home tonight anyhow."

She looked at James in shock. "And you're okay with this?"

"Ten minutes ago, I would have said no." His lower lip quivered ever so slightly. "Then I realized the two heading out to that limo aren't children any more. My Kimmie-cub is so grown up."

Anne put her hand around his waist. "James, I don't think it's going to matter if it's a few months from now or ten years from now, she's always going to be your Kimmie-cub." She led him back inside, closing the door.

Kim almost didn't see the car until they were right on top of it. She just about couldn't take her eyes off Ron. She had never seen anyone so handsome in all her life. Then all of a sudden he was opening the door for her and she realized it wasn't one of his usual vehicles.

It wasn't one of those ultra-long super-stretch limos. In fact, compared to those it was quite conservative. It was brand new and shiny black. Ron must have reserved it some time ago, considering just about every one of them in Middleton was tied up on Prom duty tonight. Carefully keeping her skirt down she climbed in.

The interior was dark red and very plush. Ron nodded toward the driver and the divider silently slid up, leaving them alone in the back.

Ron touched her face again. He wanted to kiss her so badly but he knew that would likely spoil her makeup and he wanted to get to the photographer before that happened. Once they were out on the dance floor, who knew when their faces would separate. Until then, however, there were appearances to be maintained.

Kim leaned toward him and kissed him gently. "Sposed to be kiss-proof lipstick." She explained. "Later on, I'm going to put it to the test."

"Booyah." Ron said quietly, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers. He reached behind him and pulled out a small plastic box. Inside was a single white carnation. "I figured you were going to wear your old dress again, so I thought this would look good with it. Sorry if it doesn't go."

Kim took the flower out of the clear box and slipped it onto her wrist. "It's perfect, Baby." She ran a hand down his thigh, noticing the cargo pockets for the first time. Right on cue a little pink head popped out of one.

"Hiya." Rufus waved at Kim, grinning from nearly invisible ear to nearly invisible ear.

"Okay, I was fixing to say is that a Kimmunicator in your pocket or are you just glad to see me." Kim laughed, putting Rufus' head.

"Actually, I left it at home. The watch too." He showed her the dress watch she had given him for Valentine's. "Dad thought it best we leave Team Possible on hiatus for tonight."

"Mom said the same thing. She went so far as to actually take it away from me." She gave his thigh a good squeeze. "I agree with them. Tonight is for us." She gently caressed the edge of his ear, fighting down the urge to tousle his hair. He very likely had almost as much hairspray in his that she did. "Listen, Ron." She hesitated a moment, looking at his chocolate brown eyes. "Monique and Felix, they've got a room at the Motor Lodge. They can do that since they're both eighteen."

"KP, that's fine. We'll be eighteen in just a couple more months. Our time will come."

She put her palm against his face again. "What I'm saying is, Monique said if we want to, we can have their room. That doesn't mean the waiting is over tonight but it does mean I can hold you in my arms all night if I want to."

He took her hand in both of his. "I like that." He smoothed one of her sideburns. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"Uh huh. Just as much as I love you." She said, giving him a kiss that really put her special lipstick to the test.

* * *

a/n - there is a picture of Kim and Ron in their Prom outfits on my DevArt homepage. It can be accessed as always through my profile. Be warned, there are some spoilers in the comments.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	44. Part XLIV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLIV**

* * *

Bonnie sat at one of the tables, quietly seething as the dance got under way. All week, leading up to the dance she had been looking forward to it but once she was there, all the old feelings came rushing back to her. She was uncomfortable and actually wanted to leave. She didn't want to go home and face her family, especially her two sisters who, in their turn, had ruled the roost on Prom night, each bringing home the cherished tiara of Prom Queen. Somehow she already knew she wasn't even in the running for it. No, too many things had happened to her to knock her standing in the 'food chain' and it was likely she knew who was on top.

For a while, after the principal had made her sit down and have it out with Kim, she had felt somewhat better. Then, slowly, she realized that all that had done was take the wind out of her sails, taking away all of her remaining weapons to use against her rival. Her lot in life had not improved one little bit only now she just didn't feel right doing any more than sending a well-deserved barb or two at the redhead and even that didn't seem to phase her. She had finally come to the realization that any attack from her would come off as petty, especially after Kim got her position on the yearbook and paper back for her.

Her 'date' only stuck with her for a few minutes before heading off into the room to mingle and the dance officially hadn't even started yet. The DJ was already playing some music and some of the early arrivals were dancing so in effect the party had already begun. She picked at a small selection of snacks, wishing she could go outside and light up. Even that was denied to her since she had been trying to quit and hadn't had one in more than a month. They weren't even in her purse since she didn't want to be tempted.

She perked up as the music quickly faded away, long before the cut was finished. A slight hush fell over the room and she had a good idea why. All eyes were on the clear glass doors that led out to the lobby. Even from her distant vantage point, she could tell who was approaching.

Three couples entered together, yet only one of them commanded the attention of the room. Bonnie's eyes rolled upwards as she tried to turn her attention away from the spectacle. Still, she found she had to watch. There was Monique Jenkins and that wheelchair boy. He used the articulated robot arms of his power chair to hold the door open so the rest could come in.

Tara Matthews and Josh Mankey were next. Bonnie felt a small pang of regret for her part in breaking that couple up last year, though she thought it was all for Tara's own good. Jason had been a decent match for her but the small blonde never was as happy as when she was going steady with the quiet artist. At least now they were back together and seemed happy, though Tara didn't speak to her as much any more.

There was a small round of applause as the last couple in the group came in. Last year they had arrived very late, hand in hand, a sign everyone still there took to mean they had finally realized what everyone else in the school knew. Bonnie had known it as well but couldn't quite fathom the why of it. "It finally happened, she's dating that loser. Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable are dating?"

A small smile crept across her lips. It had taken a long time but she finally realized Ron wasn't a loser. Kim still was, but he sure wasn't.

This time they weren't hand-in-hand. They each had their arms around the other's waist and it wasn't going to take his freaky little pet to shove the two of them together. This night they were as physically inseparable as their hearts apparently were.

Bonnie wondered for a moment where Ron had taken Kim to dinner before the dance. Probably one of the nicest places in all the Tri-Cities. Her own date had taken her to Muddrakker's, embarrassing her to tears. That place was fine for a run-of-the-mill date, but this was Prom night. Then again, maybe it wasn't so bad since nobody she knew had seen her arrive there in her violet dress, surrounded by families in normal street clothes.

Her mouth watered a bit thinking it possible he had even cooked for Kim. Even though the two of them had given her a terrible cold that kept her out of class for two days that small meal had been fantastic. Ron may have had no prowess in athletics but he was certainly far more talented than anyone ever gave him credit for.

Apparently their arrival was what Barkin had been waiting for. He took the stage where a small local band was setting up for later in the evening.

"Alright, People, listen up. Welcome to the Two Thousand Six Middleton High School Junior/Senior Prom. Before we get started, I would like to thank the Prom Committee for making this event possible."

Bonnie gritted her teeth at that, knowing for certain the Assistant Principal's words where completely intentional. It never occurred to her that it was simply the truth. The fact she had tried, almost successfully, to spike the whole event was furthest from her mind.

"Okay, so let's have some fun and remember to keep the PDA reasonable. After all, this is a school function. Now, dance!" The last was barked like it was an order as the music started once more. The vast majority of the crowd gravitated to the floor as the light dipped low. As usual, the music was upbeat, the energetic crowd getting into it.

Almost automatically Bonnie worked her way out onto the floor. Last year Brick had spent most of the dance just sitting and watching people and had to be dragged out there. Sometimes he could be such a lump.

That didn't matter. She spent the afternoon trying to call him. Unfortunately, after a couple hours of calling, all she managed to do was reach his roommate. The guy sounded distinctly uncomfortable, making her think he actually was there in his dorm and for some unknown reason didn't want to speak to her.

She put that in the back of her mind and sought out her date, dragging him out there. At least she would dance with him that night, though she was not relishing the thought of a slow dance with him. Fortunately, the first slow-dance was being saved for something special.

Perhaps not so fortunately. About a half hour into it, Tonya Welker, the class President took the stage. Bonnie had seen this ceremony twice how, having been brought as a date as a sophomore. It was something she had once figured to be almost a birthright. Now she only held onto a dim hope the Seniors hadn't all been bought in by 'Miss Perfect.'

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the distinct pleasure of announcing our Prom Queen for the class of Two Thousand and Six. This past week ballots have been circulated among the Seniors and I have with me the results." She started fiddling with the envelope. "Maybe it's me." She joked, getting a smattering of polite laughter.

Bonnie mouthed the name herself as it was read. "Kimberly Possible!"

She stalked back to her table as Kim took the stage to accept the tiara. She took solace knowing that was the last honor her rival could take from her. There were no more cheerleading competitions, talent shows, spirit sticks or any other kind of award left. There was always the possibility that Kim would also be valedictorian but at least in that Bonnie knew she was never quite in the running for that.

She sat at the table, not able to take her eyes off the couple as they danced like a pair of old-school movie stars. That was supposed to be her out there in the spotlight. It didn't take long for their formal dance steps to become slower, their bodies getting closer. The moment was coming she somehow dreaded, though she still could not look away. It was a repeat of the final dance last year as the young lover's lips met.

Other couples joined them on the dance floor, all holding each other close in a dance that looked more like a sea of loving embraces. Bonnie looked at the guy who brought her, off chatting with his friends over by the snack table where Barkin loomed, ensuring nobody put anything untoward in the punch bowl and keeping a watchful eye on that nasty little rat-thing of Ron's so he wouldn't consume everything before the rest of them had a chance to have something.

She stayed there for several more tracks and almost didn't realize somebody was speaking to her.

"Bonnie? Would you care to dance?"

For a moment she didn't look up, but when she did she realized Ron was standing there with his hand out toward her.

"Ron? I don't know. Isn't this supposed to be Kim's night?"

"Yeah. Doesn't mean I can't dance with my other friends. Besides, she's out there dancing with Mankey right now. Come on, it's not like it's a slow dance or anything."

"You sure?"

"You bet. Looks like you could use a little Ron-shine. Let's dance." He held out his hand again.

Hesitantly she took it. His hand was warm and strong but surprisingly gentle. For a moment she allowed herself to think he was there for her and in a way, she was right.

* * *

Kim sat down to take a little breather, setting the tiara down on the table. Dancing with Josh had been fun but he was back dancing with Tara again. She smiled happily, watching Ron bobbing and weaving out on the floor. It didn't even bother her that he was dancing with Bonnie, who for the first time that evening was actually smiling.

There seemed to be a kind of freedom associated with knowing that, though he was dancing with other girls and having a good time doing it, in the end he would always come back to her. He was happy and gracious when Josh asked for a dance and immediately went to seek out her former rival.

Just as long as the slow-dances were saved for her and her alone.

She still couldn't get over how good he looked and it wasn't all that spankin new tux either. It was like somebody had thrown a switch, changing him in an instant from a boy to a man. She let out a little sigh that was lost in the pounding beat of the music knowing he was her man and would be for life.

The dance track changed but she kept her seat. A small crowd was starting to form around Ron who was probably starting to show off some of his fancier dance moves. She spotted Tara and Hope gyrated nearby, their dates hanging back to watch.

_I wonder what it would have been like if it was Ron who took me to the Spirit Week Dance back at the beginning of their Sophomore year?_ She leaned on her elbow, mentally replacing Josh with Ron. Back then he was shorter than her, clumsy as all get out and she would freely admit he was kind of a dork. It was felt incredibly good she had fallen in love with that dork before he actually grew up. That was the surest sign that what they had was real, not just some crush because he was a hottie. Sure, he still had big ears, tripped over his own feet from time to time and could eat like a cave man coming off a hunger strike, but she loved all of it.

Looking around the room, she tried to spot some of her other friends. Monique was off alone with Felix, patiently waiting for the next slow dance. It was very likely the two would leave the Prom early and head for his home since they had given her the key to the room they had rented that night. The two were as lost in each other as she was with Ron and that made her quite happy. Those two certainly deserved each other.

Kim tried picking out the rest of the cheer squad, realizing that besides Hope, Tara and Bonnie the others were too young and might not be there. Phoebe she knew wouldn't, considering her boyfriend was a sophomore and it didn't seem likely tiny little Marie would be either. Finally she spotted Danika, dancing with that Chad guy she had been dating for as long as she could remember. She was dressed in some kind of Asian style dress. It was shining red with either Chinese or Japanese characters etched in gold, with three quarter length black sleeves and black leggings beneath. It was good she was wearing the leggings, since the split must have gone all the way up to her waist.

Okay, that was quite enough. It was time for Ron to dance with her some more. Pretty soon they would play a slow song again.

"Kim Possible?"

She looked up at the source of the voice, her mouth dropping open.

The man who had spoken was tall, over six feet. He was dressed, not in a tuxedo but a finely crafted Italian suit that probably cost as much as her father's beloved Jaguar. His neatly coifed hair framed dark, chiseled features and startlingly nice blue eyes.

"Junior?" She almost couldn't get her mouth to work. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"I wanted to speak with you, to tell you something." He sat down beside her, not taking his eyes off her still shocked face.

"Listen, Junior, whatever you and your father are planning, can't it wait until after tonight?"

He shook his head, looking slightly distraught. "No. Father is not here. In fact he does not know I am here."

"Then what _are_ you doing here?" She repeated.

"I wanted to tell you, I am no longer part of Father's plans to take over the world for his evil purposes. That was never my intention. I only wanted to be an international pop star."

"I'm glad to hear it Junior, but couldn't that have waited until after this?"

"No it could not." He glanced around, as if his nerves were getting the better of him. "Did you get the present I sent you?"

"Present? What are…oh, you mean the music? That was you?" She realized she had completely forgotten about the CD she found in her room.

"Yes. Did you not know my first name is Esteban?"

She frowned. "Actually no. I've only ever known you as Junior." She thought furiously. "Did it occur to you that I don't speak Spanish? I had no idea what any of that meant, though it didn't sound bad."

"My producers said I sound better signing in my own language. Something about cleaning up the tracks or something. I do not understand such things. You say you liked it? Perhaps I can sign them to you in English if you like."

"Uh, that's okay, Junior. Listen, they're starting a slow song, I want to go dance with Ron."

He motioned for her to sit. "Please, just for a few minutes, please listen to what I have to say."

She noticed Ron heading for the table. "Alright, Junior, just make it quick."

"Kim Possible, I am in love with you." He said with all earnestness.

"You what?" Her mouth hung open again.

He looked away from her. "I have known this for some time. Ever since I learned you were my soul mate."

"Whoa there, _Esteban_." She said, using his given name for the first time. "Just because that silly game said I was a blue fox and you were…whatever it was you were supposed to be."

"A yellow trout." He supplied.

Kim looked past him, realizing Ron was right there listening intently to the conversation.

"It doesn't matter. The proof that thing was dead wrong is right here." She took Ron's hand. "I didn't need some greechy little commercial test to find him. Junior, there's no way you can love me. You don't even know me that well."

"But I do…" He started to get up until Ron put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dude. Kim. Girlfriend. Mine." He said quietly with a dangerous edge to his voice.

Junior sat back down. "I know this and an respect it. I know what I feel cannot be returned, but my heart has guided me here tonight so I could tell you this. Kim Possible, I do know you. I have studied everything about you. Not a day goes by that I do not think about you. It rips my heart in two that…"

"Okay, that's just about enough out of you, bub." Ron said, his eyes flaring just a little bit.

Kim put a restraining hand on Ron's arm.

Junior nodded. "Ron Stoppable, I said I respect what the two of you have. What I feel for Kim Possible is what the two of you feel for each other. I have said what I needed to say and I will leave the two of you. You need not fear me any longer as I no longer follow my Father's path."

He pulled a small box about three inches square out and put it on the table. "Allow me to give you this one gift. It is a token of my affection. Please take it and I will willingly depart."

"Junior, I don't know." Kim began, eyeing the package. It was wrapped just as before in shiny sky blue paper, this time with a white ribbon.

"Listen, Dude, this is so not cool." Ron was clearly getting more and more upset.

"It's okay, Ron. Let's just see what this is and let him go, okay?"

He merely nodded, putting a possessive hand on Kim's shoulder. Kim put her hand over his for a moment and reached for the box. She looked a Junior for a moment, noticing that Danika was standing nearby, staring at the large Spaniard.

Carefully she took the ribbon off the box and started picking apart the wrapping. She pursed her lips as she opened the box, removing the white tissue paper inside. Looking inside, her own eyes got hard. Then she looked back up at Junior.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" She threw the box onto the table where it bounced a couple times before coming to rest.

"No, I assure you, it is not a joke. Why are you upset?"

"Why am I upset?" She grabbed the box once more and reached inside, pulling out the small red and black object, throwing it on the table as she had done the box. "You said you know all about me. If that's true then you know what those things almost did." She growled, pointing at the small plastic toy sitting there.

"That is not what was supposed to be in there. It was supposed to be a small gold fox." He pleaded.

Kim picked it up holding it about an inch from her nose. "Take a good look, Junior, that's not a fox. That's one of those blasted Little Diablos Drakken used when he tried taking over the world last year." She threw it down on the table, not caring that it bounced off onto the floor.

Pointing toward the entrance, she almost shouted. "I think you should leave!"

He got up and started backing away. Kim bared her teeth as she pointed at the door once more.

"Uh, Kim." Ron said, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Not now, Ron, I'm about to start kicking some Spanish biscuit." She took a step toward the large man. She knew he wasn't much of a fighter but that wasn't going to matter. She was in a mood to do some damage.

"Kim." Ron said softly, grabbing her shoulder and pointing toward the floor.

"What?" She shouted until she noticed what he was pointing at.

Blue sparks surrounded the little plastic toy. Her eyes got wide as she realized what was going on. It wasn't just a replica, it was a real Little Diablo robot…

…and it was active.

As if it were alive it suddenly righted itself, stepping out into the open in its strange little robot walk. Before she could utter another sound it started growing as the Haephaestus technology used the very air around it to add to its structure. In fits and starts it changed from a cute little cartoon devil into a hulking robot armed with deadly weapons.

She wasn't aware of the screaming around her or that Junior was running away as fast as his feet could carry him. The dance and everything was forgotten as she faced off the red and black devil robot.

The chest section changed, forming a screen. It came to life with Señor Senior Senior staring down at her.

"Greetings and salutations Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Allow me to apologize for my son. It seems he has lost his way and it is up to me to put him on the proper path of villainy once more. I trust you shall enjoy his little gift."

With that, the robot extended its arm. Before Kim could leap away, dragging Ron with her they were both enveloped in green energy. Instead of being blasted to atoms, they found themselves trapped in some kind of force field. Turning, the robot extended its other arm, blasting a large hole in the ceiling of the ballroom, causing the disco ball to come crashing down.

They could only watch helplessly as the rockets in its legs fired, carrying them upwards toward the new exit.

Ron grabbed Kim's shoulder and pointed toward the robot as they cleared the opening, heading into the night sky.

She realized immediately what he was pointing at. Right at the waist junction of the thing hung another Prom guest. Instantly Kim knew exactly who it was.

"Danika, let go. Don't try being a hero, you'll get yourself killed!" Kim screamed, though she had no idea if her voice would carry through the force field.

The blonde cheerleader looked up at them. They were already too high for her to release her grip. They watched helplessly as the girl tried to hang on. She looked up at them, her teeth gritted in grim determination.

Then her dress started changing. It was a fast change, just like Kim's formal black dress she had once worn to Falsetto Jones' dog show. The red over-dress was absorbed into the body of the black suit as it extended over the girl's feet and hands. A hood came up, protecting her face and head.

Despite the desperation of their current sitch, both of them realized in an instant that Danika Foster was the Vigilante Ninja.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	45. Part XLV

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLV**

* * *

Kim tumbled against Ron as the Diablo arced up over Middleton, accelerating into the night sky. Ron was babbling incoherently but that wasn't what occupied her mind. He was frightened and that's how he dealt with it but by comparison he was as safe as she was for the moment. Instead her attention was rooted on the dark figure hanging on for dear life to the midsection of the robot.

Danika had a good grip on the ridge above the waist articulation and the suit had the capability of nearly doubling her strength but that might not be enough if the flight lasted too long. They weren't gaining altitude any more, and for that she was thankful. The suit could protect the girl from the wind and cold but there was no provision in it for breathing. That was one contingency that had not been planned for when Wade outfitted them.

She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Danika! Can you hear me?" She watched intently but they were starting to leave the lights of the Tri-Cities behind and the girl was encased from head to toe in black, including a visor that covered her eyes. Even if she nodded her assent Kim couldn't tell.

Taking hope the force field wasn't sound-proof since she could hear the rockets, Kim took another deep breath and shouted. "Use the grappler! Fire the grappler into the robot!"

Apparently the girl heard her. Risking the chance the thing would change direction, Danika let go with one hand and raised it. There was a faint pop as she fired a cable from her left wrist. The molecular bonding cup on the end (thank you Dementor!) smacked into the upper body of the robot, holding fast.

Then the younger cheerleader did something that made Kim scream, bringing Ron out of his nearly catatonic state. She let go. Kim uttered a silent prayer the molecular-grappler would hold and it did as the ebon figure reached the end of the cable. She swung around the behemoth, sailing up and over it.

It became clear what she was doing. The girl had guts and more skill than she would have ever given her credit for. She swung up and over the robot twice, looping the cable over itself. She ended up on its back, wrapping a length of the cable around her waist. Kim had to admit that was something she would have done.

Danika stretched out on the back of the robot, lying down so an errant wind gust wouldn't overtax her makeshift lifeline. She gave Kim a little salute before finding a new handhold.

Ron was coming to his senses. Kim could tell he was still shivering though it was quite warm inside their little bubble of energy. She noted that, except for the shimmering green, it seemed they were flying through the air just a few feet away from the extended arm of the robot. Ron didn't like being high up, he never did. Inside an airplane didn't bother him but freefalling, even now frightened him clean out of his wits. The only thing that had ever made him capable of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane was the fact he was doing it with her, to help her, to be with her. Ron was braver than she would ever be because the risks he took actually scared him. She enjoyed such risks, even reveled in them. Despite the fear of what may await them at the end of their flight, she was flushed with an adrenaline high. That was one of the differences between them. As much as their hearts had become one, they were still different people.

She took comfort knowing she loved him all the more for their differences.

He started going through his pockets. Years of training were taking over and he was doing an equipment check. Hopefully he had something with him that could help in the sitch. She didn't have to check herself. She'd already gone through in her own mind what she had on her person and that wasn't much. Some assorted jewelry, a dress, a pair of lace undies and a pair of strappy sandals. Her purse was back at the Prom, sitting on the table. At least with that she would have had her cell phone, though it relied on transmitter towers and not satellites like her Kimmunicator. There wasn't much else in the small clutch other than some makeup and a little silk number she was going to surprise Ron with later that evening.

She almost laughed aloud at the fact they were foiled again! Even if all she wanted to do was hold him close through the night, another sitch had come along, stealing her chance to be nothing more than a woman in love for at least one night.

"What you got?" She asked, wrapping an arm protectively around his waist.

"Wallet, pack of gum, keys, cell phone…no signal, I checked." He handed the meager selection of stuff to her, in case she could think of something he couldn't.

She quickly went through it in the dim light of their electric prison. She said another silent prayer whatever was generating the force field was well made. One hiccup in the power and they would have only a few seconds left of their life together.

Kim gave Ron the eye when she pulled a small packet out of his wallet. He grinned back at her sheepishly. "Sorry, KP. It's a guy thing. That's been in there since we started dating. Dad, uh, kind of insisted."

Shaking her head she put his wallet back together, smiling softly. She opened his cell phone and started playing with it, holding out a slim hope that Wade had once again pulled off a miracle, installing another one of his secret communication devices inside it.

"We should be able to get a signal somewhere. We're moving pretty fast but the plan Wade set us up on is supposed to have coverage almost everywhere. Even if we crossed out of an area we should be hitting another." She stared at the dim light of the phone's screen, pleased despite their situation he still had their original Prom picture as his wallpaper.

He put his hand out, testing the 'wall' of the sphere. "Maybe this thing is jamming it somehow." He sat down Indian style, trying to get comfortable. "Any idea where we're going?"

Kim sat down beside him, wrapping her hands around his waist and putting her head on his shoulder. "I can't tell. We were up and away so fast I didn't get my bearings and it's too dark to see any landmarks. We'll just have to wait and see."

Ron put his arm around her and pulled her close. "You cold?"

"I'm fine, Baby. I'm fine." She glanced once more up where Danika was. She hadn't moved since settling into position on top of the robot. A thought occurred to her. "Where's Rufus?"

Ron shivered ever so slightly in her arms. "Don't know. Last I saw him he was trying to sneak past Barkin to get at the cheese platter. I guess he's okay, just wish he was with us."

"I do too. Our little family should be together." She said as softly as she could over the roar of the rockets.

* * *

Danika was fighting to stay calm. This was far different than taking on burglars and other thugs in the night. Her arms still ached with the strain of holding on as the robot blasted into the sky, even with the suit adding to her strength.

She was also cursing herself silently. All her careful subterfuge was thrown away in an instant when she grabbed the thing. What was she thinking? Even with the suit what was she going to do to this thing? The only thought going through her mind at the time was that she had to do something. She was supposed to be the good guy, the hero, right?

Once they were airborne the suit automatically switched from stealth mode to combat mode. Both of them were looking right at her when it changed, so there was no way she was going to keep her identity hidden from them any longer.

Was she really a hero? Or was she just a girl playing at being one? When it came right down to it, Kim was the one with the level head in the situation, or 'sitch' as she would call it. Using the grappler had not even occurred to her, she was just going to hang on for dear life and hope the thing would not take them far.

That didn't seem to be the case. All she could tell was they turned to the south as their flight leveled out. Before long they were flying at supersonic speed, just over a thousand feet up, skimming over hilltops. Every so often she would look down at the couple encased in a sphere of energy. Inside, shielded from the tearing wind, they were relatively comfortable. Out there, if it had not been for the suit protecting her face, she wouldn't have even been able to breath.

She knew if the thing wasn't flying so low, she wouldn't even be able to do that. Thank the maker she had included the visor in her reconfiguration of the suit. It had been put there to safeguard her identity but now it was safeguarding her.

Looking at the couple, calmly holding each other in the green bubble, she tried to be just like them. There was nothing she could do but hang on for the moment and hope there was something she could do.

Any thought of tampering with the robot was discarded fairly quickly. Even though they weren't flying at high-altitude they were high enough they would be killed if the thing went out of control. It also crossed her mind the only thing holding Kim and Ron up was the energy field. At least the thing wasn't distracted by her presence. It must have been pre-programmed to capture the couple and nothing more.

She considered using the grappler in her right wrist for extra security but discarded the notion, wanting to keep it in reserve. There was no telling how the thing was going to land once it got to its eventual destination and she wanted to keep all her options open.

What were her options? She couldn't do anything to affect the robot and outside of increased strength and speed, the suit itself didn't have that much to offer as far as offensive capabilities. There was always the chance she could use the built-in communications equipment, but that would take some reconfiguration…without her computer to aid her. All of those capabilities were deactivated to keep Kim, her friends and the authorities from tracking her. That seemed fairly stupid now, though if she had already been caught she wouldn't have the chance to help now.

Grimly, she simply tried to relax and stay alert.

* * *

Kim started slightly as Ron gently shook her. Sometime during the flight she had dozed off slightly. Turning on Ron's phone, she checked the time since it was too dark to see his watch. By her estimation, they had been in the air about an hour and a half.

She could see lights in the distance. They were approaching a brightly lit compound of some sort. Further off, she could make out other lights, most likely a sprawling city. A dim memory of a conversation she had with Wade came back to her. Señor Senior Senior had been doing something near Mexico City. She did a quick calculation in her head and figured it was possible that's what the lights in the distance were. That meant they had been traveling at pretty incredible speeds but she knew the robots were capable of that.

Thinking of that, she looked up at the other 'passenger.' Danika was still there, supposedly lashed to its back with her grappler cable. It was too dark to tell if the girl was still okay. If the power in her suit was holding out, she should be, especially since her face and head were protected by her modifications. They hadn't been in a running fight, so there should be power to spare, though it worried her that she had already made one mistake where power settings were concerned.

They were definitely slowing down as they neared the bright island of light. Island seemed to be the operative term. The whole compound looked like Senior had transplanted his whole island lair to the hills near the Mexican capitol. The man certainly liked his power, both physical and figurative.

What on Earth did he want in Mexico, though? All Senior's grabs at power had always been centered on Europe. The only thing he had in common with this place was his native language and even then the dialect was somewhat different. The only thing she had to go on was a warehouse ostensibly for confiscated trademark violations not far from the Senior estate. Something about it made Global Justice nervous, but they hadn't seen fit to brief her on the sitch.

The robot tilted upwards and started its descent. Below them a pair of doors set in the roof of a large central building slowly opened. The interior was too brightly lit to discern any details but it was likely some kind of hanger. The leg rockets flared brighter, slowing them even further as the twenty foot tall mechanical monstrosity touched down.

Very gently it lowered the bubble of green light until it winked off as they touched the floor. They slowly untangled their legs and stretched the stiffness out. Inside the sphere there had been a choice of standing or sitting lotus style as there hadn't been room to stretch out during the flight.

For a moment they were alone in the hanger, except for the silent Diablo looming over them. There were doors and hatches all along the perimeter of the Quonset hut style building, with a large door leading outward. If the space was meant for anything besides the robot, they didn't have a clue what it could be. There was a curious lack of equipment one would expect if it was being used for airplanes and considering the lack of a visible landing strip outside, it was likely nothing bigger than a helicopter would fit. There was no sign of Senior's black aircraft anywhere, though it could have been stored in another building, perhaps a secret cavern used for escape purposes.

There was a crackling sound and they turned just in time to see the Diablo start shrinking down. Instead of returning to its 'toy' mode it simply reduced its size until it was only about nine feet tall. As if for the first time since they arrived, it turned toward them. It was clearly aware of their presence. What it did not seem to be aware of was the grappler cable that dropped from around its mid-section.

Kim and Ron glanced at each other. Other than the cable, there was absolutely no sign of Danika. She had seen the girl still hanging on when she woke from her brief nap but hadn't been paying attention as they descended.

"I hope…" Ron began before being shushed by Kim. There was always the outside chance Senior didn't know there was a third party astride the automaton. Still, she echoed his sentiment. There was the possibility the girl had been at the end of her strength, but something told her she jumped free just as they neared the rooftop.

Staring at the robot, Kim took a step backward. The head inclined toward her. The yellow eyes betrayed no awareness but it still seemed that it could see them. She looked at Ron, then shook her head from side to side. His eyes said he understood and the bolted toward smaller doors in opposite directions.

Risking a look back, she realized the Diablo was not chasing either one of them. That either meant their escape attempt was beyond its programming…

…or escape was not possible.

She skidded to a halt as the door she was headed for parted with an audible whoosh. Two more nine-foot tall Diablos clanked into the room, their blasters trained on her. A quick look behind her told her Ron had encountered the very same thing.

They forced her to back up, one step at a time as they advanced. She tried juking to the side but apparently that had been anticipated. A blast of green plasma melted the floor just a step ahead of her. They didn't stop until both teens were boxed in right beside the original bot.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat has brought in." Señor Senior Senior said as he stepped into the hanger, his can tapping quietly as he made his way toward them. Kim's eyes narrowed slightly. The cane was only there for show. Senior was not only very spry for his age, he was actually a very accomplished athlete.

"Actually, isn't that what the cat drug in?" Ron quipped, standing up from the fighting crouch he had been in.

"Perhaps, but I like the way I say it just as well." He turned toward Kim, who was glaring at him with enough intensity it could melt concrete. "Welcome, my feisty teenaged foes. Welcome to my latest humble abode. I must say, Miss Possible, you look absolutely lovely this evening. I trust I have not interrupted something important."

"Only the biggest night of our lives so far, Senior. You kidnapped us from our Prom!" She growled, her fists balled so tightly her knuckles were going white.

"I must apologize. My latest toy was programmed to bring the two of you here once it was removed from the package. I did not know Junior would choose to bestow his gift on you at your high school dance."

"That was pretty low, even for you, Senior, using Junior that way." Kim shot at him, still glaring daggers at the older man.

"Even though he was hitting on you right in front of me." Ron shot right back.

"Not now, Ron." Kim warned, turning as Senior slowly circled them, carefully staying outside the ring of his Diablos.

"Yes, Junior remains quite smitten with you. Who can blame him, you are quite the lovely young woman and, I might add, you have rather exquisite taste in clothing when you are not wearing that horrible outfit I normally encounter you in."

"This isn't the time for flattery, Senior. Just what are you up to?"

He held a hand up to his ascot. "Me, why I am only trying to cement my place as the pre-eminent master villain of the world, all the while trying to convince my prodigal son to return to his proper destiny."

"All I see you doing is trying to force him to be something he's not. Has it ever occurred to you that Junior doesn't want to be a criminal mastermind, that maybe all he wants is to sing. I know they cleaned his voice up a lot on that disk, but he's not half bad."

"What he wants is irrelevant. His duty is to carry on the family name and follow in my footsteps when he is gone. That is the price men such as us must pay for our wealth and power."

"Dude," Ron cut in. "The footsteps he's following didn't even start until a couple years ago. Why can't he just take over your old family business?"

Senior sighed. "Perhaps if you were in my position you would understand, Ron Stoppable."

"What's there to understand? You're rich, powerful, own you own island. It's not like the two of you ever really need to work, why not let him do what he wants?"

"Because that is not the path I have laid out for him."

Kim stepped toward him, only to stop as the quintet of robots trained their blasters on her once more. "What's with the Diablos? I've never known you to work with Doctor Drakken."

He glanced a the crimson terrors. "Part of amassing a fortune such as mine comes with a talent for exploiting potential where I find it. Such is the case with these…Diablos, as you call them. Yes, I can see why they would be called devils. Quite ingenious on Doctor Lipsky's part I must say. In the end, they are just like all the rest of my toys, only weapons. High tech weapons I might add. They fit quite nicely into my plan."

"Where'd you get them? I thought Global Justice used some radio thingamabob to fry all their circuits world-wide?" Ron asked, slowly moving to put his back against Kim's.

"Why, I have had a small collection of them for quite some time now. Last year I watched with great interest as you defeated your arch nemesis, yet later I wondered why the little toys Junior collected did not rise up and try to destroy my island. I had them examined and they proved to be quite active and real. Then when I heard a signal had been sent out to destroy their inner workings while preserving the outer toy, I had them checked again and discovered they were fully intact. It was later I learned that certain properties of my custom built home prevented both the original control signal and the destruction signal from reaching them. Once I learned how to activate them for myself a new plan occurred to me.

"You see, there are other places with the same properties as my home. Some of those places have been constructed deliberately, others are that way purely by happenstance. I discovered one such place was a certain warehouse quite near my new dwelling. I also learned the Mexican Government gathered a large number of the Diablos and stored them away before the destruction signal went out."

"The contraband warehouse." Kim breathed. "That's what's got GJ so concerned, they know they've got active Diablos there."

"Precisely, and that is why I have invited the two of you to be my guests. You see, once my aim becomes clear, I am certain Global Justice will do everything in their power to stop me, including sending you. Since I already have you in my power, I have removed you as a threat."

Both teens turned as the large hanger door rolled up, admitting Seniors older crab robot. It clanked forward on its spiky legs until it was about twenty feet from them.

Before they could react, snake-like segmented arms extended, binding their arms to their sides.

Now, if you would care to join me, you may watch as I acquire my new army." He turned his back on them, slowly walking away on his cane, the crab robot following in his wake.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	46. Part XLVI

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLVI**

* * *

Darkness and light.

First the former, then the latter.

Then came the pain.

Somewhere she had heard that feeling pain meant you were alive. At that very moment she wanted to take that platitude and do something unmentionable with it involving whoever originally said it.

Pain just plain hurt!

Danika sat up, trying to sort out where she was and what she was doing. She was sitting on the ground and it was night out, though the place she was in seemed to be bathed in light. It was so bright she couldn't make out any of the stars in the sky. She straightened herself out and took stock of her situation.

Nothing was broken, just bruises, and from the feel of it, quite a few of those to boot. She would be sore for days to come, that much was certain. Then she checked her head, realizing only then that she was wearing her super-suit hood and mask.

It all came back to her in a rush.

Hoping she could get away from the robot before anyone else knew she was there, she had cut the cable, hoping to use the power of her suit and her own tumbling abilities to land on the roof just outside the hatch. What she hadn't figured on as she leaped away was the length of cable wrapped around her midsection. It nearly snapped her in half, sending her spinning away just as the mechanical beast cleared its entrance.

The only thing that saved her was the training she had done with the suit. Firing the defense shields, she bounced a couple times on the roof before falling the rest of the way to the ground. Either she had released the field too soon or it had become damaged since that final hit had knocked her cold.

Stupid damned newbie mistake. Kim wouldn't have forgotten the cable like that!

Reaching up she retracted the visor and pulled the hood off, if for no other reason than to feel the night air on her face. It was warmer than she expected, though the air was dry. The air itself smelled somehow…different than she was used to. That at least helped clear her head just a little better.

She was sore all over, and not only because of the fall. The suit wasn't a set of armor after all and it could only protect her so much. As she stretched she could feel some stinging that went beyond bruising, as if she had lacerations all over her upper torso and lower legs. At first that didn't make a lot of sense to her. The suit seemed perfectly intact. Then it hit her. The suit was intact because it had repaired itself. That didn't do a bitty bit of good for her flesh except for the fact it served to keep all her wounds covered.

Checking to make certain she was alone, she unzipped the front of the suit and gave herself a quick once-over. There didn't appear to be anything worse than just some simple shallow scratches and there was very little blood. The same proved true of her legs. It was uncomfortable and stung a little bit, but she was relatively none-the-worse for the wear.

That left her to try and make some sense of her situation.

Back at the dance, she sent Chad off to get them something to drink once she noticed the tall, muscular man sitting with Kim. At first she thought he must have been somebody's college age date. The way he was looking at Kim as they spoke made her think he might have been actually hitting on her. The confused and distraught expression on the older teen's face did much to confirm that, as did Ron's reaction.

Then she got a good look at the guy's face. Hour upon hour of studying Kim's files came back to her as she realized he was the younger of the two Spanish gentlemen she had tangled with over the last couple years.

What was a super-villain doing at the Prom, apparently hitting on his enemy, a girl who, by all descriptions, was the most unavailable female in the whole school, if not the Tri-City area?

All thoughts of the after-party and a little personal time with Chad were thrown out the window when Kim started shouting at the Spaniard and pointing at the door. Something was about to go down and it was not going to be pretty.

Not being pretty wasn't quite supposed to involve being dragged to some unknown location at supersonic speeds by a twenty foot tall red and black robot.

Trying to get her head around the sitch…sitch?...the situation she checked out the suit itself. It looked perfect to her but she had already learned better. That night Kim Possible almost caught her at the warehouse she later realized just how quickly the suit could burn up its power supply while performing its most impressive functions. The repeated use of the defense screens and the near constant use of the strength enhancements left it almost completely depleted. A few more minutes in the fight and she would have just been a semi-talented cheerleader in black tights.

She almost popped herself on the side of the head, thinking the better of it since it still hurt slightly. What was that cheer Kim had them doing before the squad shut down for the year? That annoying, incessant chant taken from a song played to death on the Mouse Ears channel…

…_Get You Head in the Game_.

That's precisely what she needed to do.

The power meter built into the wrist read forty five percent. The suit wasn't dead, but if she needed the force screens again she needed to find a way to power up. That might be less of a problem here than it was anywhere else she had used the suit. Everything around her was lit up like daytime.

At least she was inside the compound itself. There was a forty foot wall surrounding it, with motion detectors and security cameras and some kind of emplacements that looked like swivel mounted guns of some sort. If that weren't enough, the builders of this place had added good old fashioned concertina wire and guard towers.

Strangely enough, there didn't seem to be anyone in those towers. In fact, she couldn't see a single living person in the whole place. There was a large swimming pool outside what must have been the main dwelling, itself a gaudy combination of Modern and Faux Mediterranean.

The gigantic light bulb glowing like an artificial sun over the pool made her realize what she was looking at. She had read about Kim and Ron's adventures enough to know she was in the middle of the Senior Estate, though she was certain they had never been over the ocean. She couldn't have been on an island but all the other familiar features were there. The only thing missing were the two Seniors themselves, and one of them had been left back in Middleton.

Frantically trying to remember all the pertinent details of the compound, she raced across the open courtyard toward a utility building. Those gun emplacements on the wall must be the self-activating, motion-sensitive lasers. So far she hadn't seen anything that looked like a piranha filled moat but that should be pretty obvious. Since they were land-locked a speedboat grotto (wasn't grotto kind of an awful sounding word?) was out of the question.

Grinning as she found an American style power outlet, she wondered just what in the heck Spinning Tops of Doom were.

* * *

Kim struggled against her restraints while Senior was busy attending to his scheme. The large door at the end of the hanger-like structure did not lead outside, but into an area that had been hollowed out beneath the compound.

The coils around her body were just tight enough to immobilize her without cutting off their circulation. That gave her hope she would be able to squirm out of them somehow or another. She quickly realized the nicely shaped hips Ron liked looking at so much were not going to be of any help in her current sitch.

She stopped squirming completely when she heard something in her dress rip. It was one thing to tear the sleeves of her crop tops or snag the legs or pocket of her cargos on something during a mission. Her narrow waist and round hips kept her from ever completely losing her pants the way Ron always did.

It was quite another thing to realize she was not wearing all that much under her Prom dress and there was only one person in the world she _might_ consider letting see.

Though he wasn't paying attention to them at the moment because he was busy with a complicated looking machine, Señor Senior Senior was most def NOT that person.

Then she realized that one person was also the owner of a nice tight, narrow muscular…she put that thought out of her mind for the time being. Head in the Game, Possible. The operative idea at the moment was the fact Ron really didn't have much in the way of hips.

"Ron." Kim whispered as she tried twisting around so she could see him.

"Yeah, KP."

She noticed the way he was looking at her. "What?"

"Um, Kim, you're not wearing…uh."

"What are you talking about, Ron?"

He nodded toward her. "Your zipper ripped a little in the middle and, well, it doesn't look like you're wearing…"

"Ron!" She tried keeping her voice down as much as she could. "Get your mind out of the gutter for a moment. Try squirming out of these coils."

"KP. This tux was expensive and Dad had to help pay for it."

"Don't worry about that, Ron. We'll get you another one some time. Right now we've got to get out of this sitch before…"

"You should not feel you should whisper on my account." Senior said right below them. "Go ahead, struggle against your bonds if it makes you feel better, though it would be quite a shame if you did spoil your lovely clothing. Ah, but I am being such a poor host, you cannot possibly be comfortable like that. Here, now that we are ready to begin, let me make things somewhat more relaxing for the two of you."

The arms came to life once more, depositing them in the cab of the strange vehicle. Just before they were shoved through the hatch, both had a really good look at the machine. They had seen one before and that time had involved Doctor Drakken as well.

Kim and Ron were dropped roughly into bucket seat as the arms snaked back out of the cab before being retracted into the dome-shaped main body of the crab walker. They didn't get the chance to bolt, as automatic manacles snapped around their ankles, locking them in place though their arms remained free.

Reaching behind her back, Kim found the several inches long rip in her dress. The zipper itself hadn't failed, but the material itself had actually ripped along side. She growled slightly, knowing there would be no good way of fixing that kind of damage. There was a better chance of making something wearable out of her old dress than this and even if it could be patched somehow, she would always know it was there, as if it were about to rip and show the world everything.

She was so not going to have a wardrobe malfunction if she could help it. There was also something very wise about her mother's usual insistence she wear certain articles of clothes, whether she needed the support or not.

"Would the two of you care for some refreshments?" Senior asked as he climbed in the cab. "I trust the two of you are comfortable. I decided to spring for the model with the lumbar supports, though I cannot quite figure out why a subterranean tunneling crawler has a moon roof." He pointed upwards at the glass window set above the driver's seat.

The gigantic conical drill bit started turning as they approached a large hole in the rock wall. "I am so glad the two of you could join me tonight." Senior said as they inched down the tunnel. "I was beginning to grow impatient. It took many months to create this tunnel but it is very nearly complete. Only a few more meters and I will be inside the warehouse. Then I will be gone before the Mexican Government or Global Justice is any wiser. They have been expecting me to make a more direct approach for some time, so while I am once again borrowing from a poor, misguided gentleman I happened to meet while I was in prison, I think this plan is most ingenious, would you not agree?"

"The only thing I agree to is that you're turning into one serious whack job, Senior. Just what in the world are you going to do with a couple thousand Diablos? The moment you try to activate them you're going to have every nation on this planet gunning for you." Ron said, trying to squeeze one of his feet through the restraints.

"Why, my dear boy? First of all they would have to know they are even gone." He turned around and grandly gestured at the open bed behind the cab. Crate after crate with Mexican Government markings sat there. "I have even gone to the trouble of having the little plastic toys duplicated, right down to a mock up of the technology contained within them. If they ever try to activate them their selves they will simply discover they have been destroyed by Global Justice's signal after all. However, by that time I will have smuggled these remaining active Diablos into key locations around the world and everyone will be forced to give into my demands to make me the ruler of not only Europe but everything."

"And what happens when the world is not enough?" Kim asked bitterly.

"One thing at a time, my dear, one thing at a time."

* * *

The grating sound reached her first. It made the whole compound tremble under her feet. Danika checked her power meter. She was up to ninety percent. That would have to do. Whatever was going to go down was already happening and somehow she knew that Kim and Ron would be in the middle of all of it. Flipping the hood up she set off in search of the sound.

She did not encounter another soul as she tried to find her way into the large building the robot had entered. It was easier than she first imagined. As she approached a double door with a strangely jagged seam it simply parted for her with a quiet whoosh. It closed behind her with the same audible report. There didn't seem to be an pneumatic controls and the doors at the mall were certainly quieter so she had no idea why it made so much noise, but that was shoved quickly to the back of her mind as she made her way deeper into the building.

Danika reached the main chamber just in time to see Kim and Ron deposited inside the driller. It turned down the dark tunnel, followed by five robots that resembled the one that brought them there, but were less than half as tall. Checking to make sure her remaining grappler cable was ready, she started after them.

She got about half way across the floor when several doors opened in the walls around her. Large black shapes emerged, ripping the concrete floor and destroying everything in their path. They looked like huge versions of children's toys, studded with grinding blades around their outer edges.

So that's what Spinning Tops of Doom were!

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	47. Part XLVII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLVII**

* * *

Senior finally stopped ranting, instead paying attention as his digger went to work on the last few meters before breaching the Mexican Government warehouse. For a man with billions of dollars to draw upon, he was not afraid of doing his own work, preferring his privacy over hiring much help. The gigantic tunnel boring vehicle was having a tough go of it considering the density of the bedrock it was grinding through. He was forced to stop, back up, reset the grinding edges then advance once more. There was a quiet determination about him that belied his usual genial nature. Something more than a remedy for boredom was driving him. That something seemingly had him stepping up his game.

It was a pretty good guess that something was a muscular, handsome young man whose payment for trying to go straight was being played by his own father in a rather heinous form of revenge. There was no way Kim would ever entertain any thoughts of being romantically involved with Junior, even if Ron were not with her but what he had done was actually kind of sweet, though it kind of felt like the beginnings of a stalking relationship of it carried any further.

Kim was glad their hands were free at least. Senior obviously knew just how poorly equipped the two of them were, though to be on the safe side he had taken Ron's phone. At first she tried calming herself by touching Ron's hand gently, tracing the shape of the bones and muscles just beneath the skin, touching the ridge of his knuckles. Ron put his hand on her cheek and looked right into her eyes. She wondered for a moment why everyone seemed to say blue eyes were the most desirable. At that moment she couldn't conceive of anything more beautiful than the cocoa colored irises looking back at her. They may have been kidnapped from their Senior Prom, but at least this time they did get to enjoy part of it and despite it all, they were still together. Señor Senior Senior was probably going to have to dispose of them eventually, but that would take the form of some elaborate scheme. The 'Code of Villainy' required it.

She found that, even though they were in the middle of a sitch and that usually meant keeping her mind purely on business, she really, really enjoyed Ron's touch. Closing her eyes for a moment she wished he could touch her all that much more and was certain how things would have gone if they actually did make it to the end of the dance and headed upstairs to the room Monique and Felix had given them. She had meant it when she told her mother she was still willing to wait, but that seemed to change when it came to just her and Ron. His touch had that kind of effect on her and it meant more than anything else in the world.

Ron's hand moved up over her head. Much as she liked his touch it still felt funny considering the amount of product the hairdresser had put in her hair to make it stay looking that way. It was meant to be looked at, not touched but she wasn't going to say anything. The loving caress was still wonderful to her even if she really wanted to shampoo that stuff out in the worst way.

Kim winced as he suddenly tugged at the complicated bun. What on Earth was he up to? His hand returned to her cheek for a moment and he looked right into her eyes again. "You know I love that little thing you do."

Confused, she tilted her head slightly as his hand dropped down and took hers. For half a moment she thought he was doing that silly thing with his finger that was supposed to signal he wanted to make out (for some couples she knew it meant even more than that.) She shot him a look that said it was so not the time before she realized there was more than just his fingertip stroking her palm.

Smiling softly at him, she leaned over toward him, brushing her lips across his cheek before laying the side of her head in his lap, closing her eyes as he stroked the one part of her hair that wasn't hard as a rock, her short wispy sideburns.

Senior glanced back at them. "Ah, to be young and in love. You do make such a wonderful couple, so much the pity. You know, I often wondered if there were more between the two of you than just your professional partnership. That lovely young woman who used to accompany Doctor Lipsky often said as much when we were incarcerated together."

"Wait, since when were you in prison with Drakken and Shego?" Ron asked as he felt Kim reaching down between his legs. Guessing what she was up to he craned his head back like it was something else, something more along the lines with what Senior had observed.

"Oh, that was only a brief time, right after I acquired the Oh Boyz in order to advance Junior's singing career."

Kim sat up suddenly. "Wait a minute, that was a couple years ago. Tomorrow's our first anniversary."

"Technically, it's actually Sunday, though it did seem like it was still Prom night, though it was really Saturday morning last year when we kissed…"

"Ron, not now. I can't believe Shego could see that even then and I couldn't."

"My dear, it was painfully obvious the two of you were supposed to be on a date when I picked young Mister Stoppable up with the rest of those boys."

"Really?" Kim sobbed. "I can't believe I wasted so much time, time that I could have been together with Ron and now it's almost over!" She wailed, throwing her head back as she blubbered before doubling over in her seat.

"I am truly sorry, Miss Possible, but I cannot allow the two of you a chance to escape and try your usual heroics…"

"Like this?" She was grinning again as a sandaled foot came up and caught Senior in the chin. He was thrown back against the control panel, giving her just enough time to slam her shoulder into the moon roof. It popped free as easily as one in a cheap SUV.

Ron was on his feet as well, knowing Kim would be able to pick their locks with the bobby pin he found in her hair. They weren't just for Zita's Grandmother after all. "Two words for you, Senior." Ron said as he grabbed the keys to the digger. "Boo, and of course, Yah." He reached up and Kim grabbed his wrist, hauling him out the top of the vehicle.

They scrambled down the back of it, across the crate strewn bed. Kim closed her eyes when she heard a distinct ripping sound. She glanced back, expecting to see Ron's trousers hanging from the corner of one of those boxes. Instead there was a large swatch of shimmering royal blue fabric. Looking down she realized her prom dress had been turned into a mini-dress even shorter than her little black dress. She gulped, silently making a vow never again wear the kind of underwear she had on outside of her bedroom. One wrong move and a whole lot more than just Ron would learn what only Monique and her mother knew up to that point. Then a burning coal of anger flared to life.

Diablo bots two, Club Banana Prom dresses…zero!

"Do you know how many Global Justice milk runs I had to do to pay for this dress?" She bellowed as Senior appeared at the hatch.

"Stop them!" He shouted, shaking his fist at the fleeing teens.

For the first time Kim realized the five active Diablos were marching behind the crawler.

* * *

Danika did a handspring off the center of one of the tops, flipping though the air, praying her strength and the suit's power would hold out. The two closest of the three tops clashed together in a shower of sparks and a loud screeching cacophony as she landed nearby. There wasn't any rest for her there as the third bore down on her.

Her mind was working in overdrive, trying to think of a solution to her predicament. With the suit's stealth features in active mode, the only way they could perceive her was with simple visual tracking. It was clear they were homing in on her somehow and since she had not seen anyone since she had been there, that meant there was either somebody or some thing directing them remotely. Their movements seemed to suggest a simple form of artificial intelligence that simply steered them towards her since they were not using any kind of coordinated attack to box her in.

What they lacked in tactics they made up for in speed and brute power. Tucking and rolling to the side she avoided yet another attack while the other two started toward her again.

All the benefits of her mask were now gone. The visor was starting to fog up and sweat was starting to get into her eyes, making them burn. Since there was no need to protect her identity any longer she spared a moment to pull the hood clear of her face.

Leaping away again she realized her error in judgment as another shower of sparks and metal shrapnel threatened to blind her. It was starting to sink in just how far over her head she really was. Leaning against a wall she tried catching her breath, only to have all three turn toward her once more. There was no time to duck between them and an overhang prevented any chance of leaping over them again. Tucking herself into a fetal position she fired the defense screens at full power, hoping against hope it would be enough to protect her from their onslaught.

She closed her eyes tightly, holding her arms over her face. Some hero she was, about to meet her end against something Kim had taken on in just her plain mission clothes. Here at the end she realized the one huge difference between her and her pretended mentor. She was alone, all alone. There wasn't anyone like Ron or that computer guy about to come to her aid. She didn't even have an ally like Ron's little pink rat thing.

Not able to help herself she opened one eye to watch her approaching doom. The three tops met, once again sending a shower of metal fragments in all directions. She covered her face again, feeling them pelt her through the suit, feeling the sting as some penetrated the tough fabric.

The roaring of the tops grew softer. Somehow she realized it was not her mind shutting down at the end. They were actually getting slower and were no longer advancing. One more time she opened her eyes just in time to see the first of them stop and fall over on its side.

The force field flickered off. If it had not been for its protection she would have been shredded by the flying bits of metal. As it was, two large slivers were buried in her forearms, though once again, the pain only served to remind her she was still alive.

She stood up slowly as the last of them fell over, its energy spent. Convinced for the moment they were not about to spring up once more and crush her, she pulled the worst of the splinters from her skin. If she managed to get out of this, she would need stitches but for now she would just have to let the suit serve as a sort of bandage.

What had almost happened to her caught up to her in a rush as the adrenaline burned out of her system. Dropping to her knees she emptied what little was in her stomach out on the ruined floor. Feeling a little better, she staggered once more to her feet and surveyed the ruin of the hanger.

What stopped the black killing machines? Certainly they didn't run out of power. The lights had never even flickered and it didn't seem reasonable they would only run for such a short time. That's when she spotted something small and fast covering the distance between her and a control panel she had not noticed before.

Something small and pink.

Sitting heavily on a large chunk of concrete she tried getting her wits about her. The small animal came to a stop just a few feet away from her, sitting up on its back legs.

"Rufus?" She asked, finally remembering its name. "So I'm not the only one who hitched a ride here, huh?"

He nodded fervently. "Hrk, uh huh!" she could have sworn he squeaked.

Taking a deep breath, she checked the suit. It was still completely intact, healing itself of all the damage it had endured. Fortunately, it was still reading sixty percent power.

Getting up, she started sprinting toward the tunnel. "Come on, let's go help Kim and Ron!"

"Oh yeah." He squeaked as he bolted after her.

* * *

Kim vaulted over the smoking remains of one of the Diablos. Lacking any kind of weapon herself she was forced to try turning the robots against each other. Twice she tried bolting past them, only to have at least two of them cut her off. She risked a glance at Ron, who was having just about as much luck.

"Get the keys!" Senior ordered from his vantage point on the bed of the crawler.

Three of the robots turned their attention to Ron, who was momentarily trapped against the rounded wall of the tunnel. With four of the Diablos active, there would be no chance to flee down the long, straight passage. They would be sitting ducks for the energy weapons wielded by the mechanical destroyers.

Kim yanked the remains of her right sandal off and sprinted toward her beloved, tossing the ruined footwear at the face of the nearest monstrosity, hoping it would serve as a minor distraction. It helped, but out of the corner of her eye she could see the fifth rising from the floor, its cybernetic guts repairing the damage inflicted on it by its brethren's plasma beam.

Kim tackled Ron just as the spinning blade from the robot nearest him struck home, sending a shower of rock and dirt fragments flying around. Metallic pinchers clacked over their heads as they bolted back toward the crawler. They had been outflanked by the fast moving automatons again.

"Miss Possible, Mister Stoppable, why do you not make it easier on yourselves. You are seriously outgunned and outnumbered."

"So not!" She responded, tumbling away from another attack.

"Kim!" Ron shouted, hurling a key ring her direction. Leaping upwards she snatched it out of the air.

Senior pointed toward her. "Forget the boy, she has the keys!"

Two of them were joined by the fully recovered fifth, blocking her path. Grinning slightly, she sprung at the bed of the digger. Grabbing the lip of the low tailgate, she hand sprung even higher just as the robots fired.

The force of the explosion carried her higher, forcing her to use her legs to keep herself from slamming into the roof of the tunnel. She spun in mid-flight, landing a kick with her remaining sandaled foot on the face of one of the robots, breaking the yellow horn clean off of it.

Kim landed in a crouch as the robots turned to face her once more. She noted with a bit of satisfaction the left track of the crawler was now lying in ruins. Without the Haephaestus based technology of the Diablos, it was not going to be repairing itself. The digger was effectively a dead issue, making the keys irrelevant.

She leaped upwards once more, only to have the massive arm of a robot catch her in her midsection, sending her painfully against a wall. She tried to get up until she realized one of them had its weapon trained on her. The muzzle of the plasma blaster flared green and she gritted her teeth, expecting the end.

There was a popping sound like a gun going off and something wrapped itself around her attacker's arm, pulling it aside just as it fired. The explosion was close enough she was able to use its force to send her momentarily out of reach of the other robots.

A black shape sailed through the air, suddenly flaring with blue light. It connected with the head of the robot that had almost ended Kim's life, sending the rounded shape clean off the rest of the body.

Ron landed in a crouch, his body surrounded by blue fire, his eyes blazing nearly pure white. Moments later two other figures joined him, one dressed totally in black save for her flying blonde hair, the other small and pink, also blazing with the mystical energy of Tai Xing Pek Kwar.

"Danika!" Kim screamed. "Use the built in Kimmunicator, get Wade!"

"I can't." She shouted back as she fired the cable at another robot. "I disabled the communications system!"

"Dammit." She growled, leaping away from another spinning blade. "Open the belt pouch! Press the button inside the snap!"

Danika let the cable got tight as it retracted, sending her sailing toward the robot it was attached to. The defense screens of the suit flared to life around her leg as she struck it, sending red and black plastic chunks flying.

Not waiting for the younger girl to follow her instructions, Kim was already vaulting herself at another bot. She had already noticed the Diablo Ron had beheaded was not getting back up. Just like the toxic snowmen and the Wannaweep Totem Pole, destroy the head and you destroy the creature.

Realizing the tide of battle had turned in his adversary's favor, Senior scrambled to the top of the crawler once more. The explosions had caused a partial cave-in near the front of the digger and he could see light. They had broken through after all!

He risked one more glance back. He had no idea who the third fighter was, but he did recognize the Team Possible super-suit. Kim had reinforcements after all, but he still had one ace up his sleeve yet to play. Using his surprising strength, he pulled several small boulders loose from the opening, pulling an electronic device out of his jacket.

Kim Possible may have found a way to gain the upper hand against five of the Diablos, but what chance would she have against thousands?

Danika finally managed to find the hidden button. A new voice filled the passage.

"Kim!" Wade screamed over the emergency backup connection.

"Wade, no time, I need a Diablo kill signal over this channel ten minutes ago!" She shouted as she avoided one of the three remaining bots.

Senior forced his way through the narrow opening, bringing his control transmitter up, pressing the red button. Then he stopped cold.

A piercing wail came from the super-suit, forcing the three teens and the Naked Mole Rat to drop to their knees, holding their hands over their ears. The whole tunnel was suddenly bathed in crackling blue energy from not only the three active bots but the two ruined ones as well.

Moments later, all five were reduced to small plastic toys. The three standing slowly slumped over to the side, the cybernetic enhancements totally destroyed by the signal. Moments later it mercifully shut down. The whole tunnel went silent save for a small fire crackling in the bed of the crawler.

Ron was slowly getting to his feet, a small pink shape on his shoulder, hugging his cheek as well as his small arms could manage. Figuring they were okay, she went to check on Danika.

The girl was still on her knees. Several rips were evident in the black suit and the power bands had changed from shiny black to dull blue. There wasn't even a hint of glow from them. The fact it was no longer repairing itself and Wade wasn't talking to them told her the suit was completely spent.

"I'm okay." Danika indicated softly, holding a slowly bleeding gash in her arm.

"Where's Senior?" Ron asked, climbing over the wreckage of the digger.

Kim followed quickly, worried that they would have to do this all over again if the old man actually got more of the Diablos up and running. She reached the opening first, easily slipping through though she did manage to snag what was left of her dress again.

They needn't have worried. Senior was standing there, just inside, his transmitter sitting on the floor forgotten. His hands were on top of his head and it was no wonder.

There were at least three hundred Global Justice agents there, each one holding their weapon trained on the oldster, all save two, plus another figure not dressed in the blue/gray of the international law enforcement agency.

Will Du quickly scooped up the transmitter and put handcuffs on Senior as Betty Director approached Kim and her companions.

"Good work, Miss Possible. I see you have not only delayed Mister Senior long enough for us to arrive, you have also flushed out the thief who stole your suit." She reached into her pouch and produced another set of cuffs.

Kim put out a restraining hand and shook her head slowly. "There's no need for that."

"Kim, I'm afraid there is. She is responsible for stealing that suit and endangering others in the process."

Tightening her grip on the older woman's arm she shook her head more emphatically. "No. She only stole the suit if I say she did. It's over, the suit is dead and as far as I'm concerned, she was part of Team Possible tonight. I'd even venture to say, she's been a part of it all along."

Betty nodded, looking Danika right in the eyes before turning back to her strike team.

Senior looked stricken. A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at his son. "Junior, how could you do this to me?"

"Father, before tonight I could not, but I have told you again and again I do not wish to be part of a life of villainy. Instead you used me to get at somebody I care a great deal about and that hurts terribly. I have found I can make it as my own man and even though you wished to punish me for trying to be my own man, I find it is now my duty to put a stop to this once and for all." He turned away from his father, possibly for the last time. "This time I will not be there to break you out. Goodbye, Father."

Kim felt like she was going to blubber up as Junior walked toward them. She stood there, trying to hold it in while simultaneously holding what was left of her dress together. He glanced at Ron and his own ruined clothing, then unbuttoned his suit jacket and wrapped it around Kim.

"I cannot begin to tell you how sorry this has happened. I can never forgive myself for destroying what should have been one of the greatest nights of your life. I told you before, I know how you and Ron Stoppable feel about each other and I understand. That doesn't change how I feel about you but I swear to you, I will never do anything to come between the two of you."

"Thank you, Junior. I'm sorry about you and your Dad, but you've proven yourself to be a real man tonight." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Is there anything, anything at all I can do for you?"

Kim looked at Ron, then at Danika.

"Just take us home." She said before nearly collapsing into Ron's arms in exhaustion and relief.

* * *

Kim and Ron walked into the ballroom, hand in hand. The private jet was a much more pedestrian sort and had to land at the airport instead of dropping them off where they wanted to. That was just as well, since they were both on no condition to skydive home.

They dropped Danika off at the Medical Center to get her lacerations looked at. By the time they landed in Middleton, all three teens were dressed in plain but nice clothing provided without question by Junior.

Kim was spared any awk-weird moments with her former foe since he stayed behind in Mexico to try and make something of the remnants of his father's legitimate empire. At the end of the day it did seem nice that there was some possibility she could call one of her enemies a friend. Well, a friend at a distance, considering his profession of love for her.

It was around three in the morning. Most of the lights were off and the tables were empty. They were certain some of the Prom guests were still in the building, taking advantage of the fact the dance was held in a hotel instead of the gym. Others had either gone home or fanned out to one of the after-parties if they weren't seeking some quality time alone.

Kim stopped under the jagged hole left in the ceiling by the Diablo some hours earlier and wondered if the party had simply ended then. That was entirely likely, she thought. Nothing like a killer robot to spoil everyone's fun.

She felt Ron's hand wrap around hers. The moment they got in there he disappeared for a moment. Seconds after he returned to her side she realized why.

Kim knew what the song was the moment it started playing. Smiling at her lover she embraced him closely. They danced together slowly, not so much truly dancing but swaying gently in a hug so tight it reminded both of them of the bumps and bruises all over their bodies. Neither cared as the song played out, then started all over again.

She leaned back and looked into his eyes and they both started singing along with it, not caring they weren't quite in tune with it. That didn't last as they started kissing. Their dance stopped as the two of them twined their bodies together in the middle of the empty dance floor. As their song ended for the third time, they parted and slowly made their way upstairs to the room their friends had given them as a gift.

They weren't going to chance bringing another disaster down on them. They simply crawled into the king size bed and fell asleep in each other's arms. They were together and that's all they needed that night.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney


	48. Part XLVIII

**_Where Did the Time Go? : _Part XLVIII**

* * *

Ron was the first to wake up the next morning. It took a moment for his brain to kick its way through the disorientation of being in a strange bed, one that was literally three times larger than the one he was used to. For once his feet weren't cold from sticking out at the foot of the bed. In fact, despite the air conditioning being on all night, he was quite warm.

Considering Kim was spooned against his back, that was to be expected.

Slowly and carefully he extracted himself from her arms. He didn't want to do that but other needs were forcing his hand. She sighed deeply in her sleep, rolling onto her back. There was enough light spilling around the blinds to see her clearly. Ron almost couldn't take his eyes off of her, distracting pressure in his bladder or no.

After spending a little bit dancing to _Could It Be_ they made their way up to the room. Ron was just a tad worried Kim was feeling too _romantic_, especially since he had come to a very important personal decision. It turned out she was feeling that way but was firmly in control. They quickly took separate showers and climbed into bed, clean, refreshed yet utterly exhausted.

Ron almost threw his decision out the window when Kim came out of the bathroom wearing something shiny, silky and short. It was completely opaque but gave the impression of being transparent. He almost felt silly lying there in his white t-shirt and the paisley boxers she had given him on his birthday.

She was still sound asleep when he came back from the bathroom. It was only eight o'clock and checkout would not be until twelve, so he was in no hurry to wake her. They had only been asleep for four hours and considering what they had just been through, any rest was golden. He sat down on the floor for a moment and just looked at her. She didn't have a bit of makeup on and her hair was a slept on mess. The silk camisole was bunched up above her naval. He recalled having his hand on her bare waist during a brief make-out before they fell asleep. Ron also remembered Kim mentioning something about it being good it was nice and dark in there, considering the underwear she had on beneath the nighty.

It was perhaps good for his resolve she had the covers pulled up over her lower half.

He just sat there for a while looking at her. Like this she was every bit as beautiful as she had been the night before when he picked her up. It was indeed a shame their Prom clothes had been destroyed but at least they had their memories of it. In a couple days the pictures would arrive, immortalizing that moment. There would also be pictures of the Queen's dance and their subsequent kiss. It was very likely that picture would join the one from their Junior Prom.

He started thinking about the future and his decision. It would be so easy to climb back into that bed right now and whisper in Kim's ear. There was no doubt in his mind that she would agree and a year of waiting would come to an end. The kidnapping and fight in Mexico aside, this was their Senior Prom and it was one of those special moments where the "Time Was Right."

Only, it wasn't right enough for him.

For all the intensity of their feelings for each other, all the opportunities they had, a year had passed and they were still virgins. It was a weird feeling knowing that if either of them said the words they would very likely make love, yet they still held back. It wasn't out of fear of what may come of it any more. It wasn't a lack of love or lack of desire. In fact, that desire was burning in him right then and there, testing his will.

Like any normal guy, Ron had many fantasies about the first time with Kim. Several of them even bore a striking resemblance to their current situation, though they did involve both of them being in a big soft bed and a little less clothing than each had on. One featured a large Jacuzzi tub like the one in the spacious bathroom of the suite.

All of those fantasies were pushed aside by his favorite one of all. It was the one where he carried her across the threshold wearing a blindingly white dress and laid her down on a bed much like this one. He wasn't sure if that day would come as soon as they were adults or a few years later, but he knew it would come and he was now willing to wait for that day, making that first time the most perfect it could possibly be.

That's how much he loved Kim.

It took him a moment to realize two emeralds were shining at him from the pillow. Kim smiled softly at him, patting the spot on the bed beside her. He quickly crawled up into it and into her arms. Neither of them cared one little bit that they needed to brush their teeth as they spent a few minutes just kissing.

"Sorry I fell asleep on you, Baby." She draped an arm over his shoulder, playing with his pillow matted hair.

"I'm not. We both needed the rest. I think we could both use a couple more hours."

"You sure that's how you'd like to spend the morning?" She smiled softly, putting her forehead against his.

Ron kissed her again, pulling her body tight against his. "This is exactly what I want to be doing at this moment." He said.

She gave him a little semi-pout. "Is that all?"

"Well, I do want to hit the breakfast buffet after a while." He looked into her eyes. "This is what's right, right now."

"Okay, Baby." She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder. Moments later he could tell she had drifted off to sleep once more.

He considered his situation for a moment. Here he was in a private hotel room with the woman he loved, a woman who would be happy whether he spent the rest of the morning holding her like he was or making love to him. They were alone in a comfortable bed, she had one leg hooked up over his and her slender body was snuggled against his.

Was he absolutely nuts to pass up an opportunity like this?

His wedding night fantasy played in his head again, reminding him he absolutely was not.

* * *

"So." The red haired young woman said as she sat at the kitchen table.

"So." The blonde haired young woman replied from the other side of that table.

Kim drummed her fingers on the table. "I guess I need to thank you for risking your life for Ron and me."

"Uh, yeah. Sorry I wasn't that much help."

"Really, Danika, you were. You tipped the battle in our favor, if you hadn't been there it would have only been a matter of time before one of them got a lucky shot in. It's just…I know I didn't let GJ take you in, but I just can't get past the fact you went through my stuff and stole the suit. Dan, there was some really private stuff in there."

"I know. If Mom and Dad found mine they would just plain freak." She stopped and looked Kim right in the eye. "But I only know about it because Bonnie told me. I didn't go through your bags on the ski trip. I may have been playing at being a stuck up super-bitch cheerleader like Rockwaller, but I like you too much, I look up to you too much to do something like that."

"But you stole my suit." Kim said, holding up her index finger.

"Not really. I said that time you tried to catch me at that warehouse, it kind of fell into my lap. Well, that's actually the God's honest truth."

"Dan, come on. Combat suit's worth over six million dollars on the open market just don't fall into your lap."

"I'm telling you the truth, Kim. It was hard telling exactly what was going on that night. It was so dark out, once Barkin ordered the lights on the bus off, we couldn't see anything. All we could do is sit there and listen while all that snapping and crunching and moaning went on. I was sitting there scared as everyone else, afraid I was going to pee my pants if whatever was making all that noise came after us.

"The principal didn't turn on the bus lights until we were back on the main highway, headed back to Middleton but I didn't bother looking in my stuff until the next morning. I was getting highly pissed that they said all the stuff we brought with us was destroyed but I eventually decided to put away the stuff in my daypack. That's when I found out the suit was stuffed in there. Somebody had put it there, though I have no idea why."

Kim looked away, thinking for a few minutes. "Actually, it's still stealing since you kept it. That just means the only thing you didn't do was go through my stuff."

"I guess you're right, but I thought I'd never have another opportunity like that. I knew how everything in it worked and I figured I could do a lot of the same things you do and I really, really wanted to do stuff like that. For the longest time, I wanted to be you."

Kim started to say it wasn't that easy but stopped herself. Without any kind of outside help, without any specific training, Danika had managed to pull off a great deal of what she was capable of. Still, it all came back to the suit. "You know, GJ is still ticked off at you…and they're not all that happy with me at the moment since I wouldn't let them take you in."

"Yeah, I guess I've got to lay low and take it easy for a little while."

Kim's eyes narrowed. "Hey, whoa, wait a sec. It's not like Wade's going to just issue you another suit to take the place of the one that got toasted when it transmitted the kill signal. I was just about to say, all this just isn't that easy."

"I thought…"

"Look, Dan. I don't know if anyone can ever duplicate what I've done. I work in the open and I've got lots of help. I've got friends who do their part. I've got a family who is behind me every step of the way. Since people know what I do, I get a lot of support at every turn. You took a whole different tack. You went with a secret identity, you went it alone. I don't know if I would have succeeded if all I did was skulk around like the Fearless Ferret."

"Who?" Danika's eyebrows shot up in confusion.

"Never mind, long story…and don't ask Ron about it either unless you have a couple days to listen to it. What I'm saying is, if you're going to make a go at this hero business you've got to know from the beginning what you're getting into. You may have been doing pretty good against the petty criminals, but you were making a few mistakes. Sooner or later somebody's going to figure them out and that will just make things all that much more dangerous."

"I think I understand." She hung her head slightly. "Maybe I'm better off just trying to take your place on the squad next fall."

"There you go. That at least won't get you killed." Kim looked at her watch. "Hey, I gotta go, Ron and I have to prowl the mall for new graduation clothes."

"Kim, about you and Ron. I know that stuff Bonnie told me about is real personal and everything but, you know, a deaf and blind man in a cave on the other side of the planet know the two of you are in love and stuff, so…have you?"

She slung her purse over her shoulder. "No. Not even on Prom Night. Bonnie really did have it completely backwards. I started those because I had a little acne and some months I'd go six weeks, some three and then there was the cramping and other stuff. Killed two birds with one stone there and the only reason I don't take the newer ones that are specifically for skin problems is because I'm allergic to one of the ingredients, that's all.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Dan. Despite how much I love Ron, despite what everybody else has assumed, despite a whole year and a week together…Ronnie hasn't gotten to second base yet."

Danika's mouth dropped in open shock.

"Before we got together, the most I'd ever done with a guy were little, relatively innocent kisses. When Ron and I started dating, I suddenly found myself doing that and more and I thought everything was just going to happen over night. We caught ourselves before that and it really turns out, if you think about it, we've slowed stuff way down and it'll come when it's right and natural. Sure, we've spent the night together several times, but that's because physically being together is real important to us."

The blonde looked a little sheepish. "Chad and I…well, you know."

Kim shrugged. "If that's what was right for you two, hey, who am I to say anything. Listen, see you in school Monday?"

"Sure." Danika got up and followed Kim to the kitchen door. Ron's car was idling outside in the driveway. She watched as the two exchanged a quick but warm kiss before driving off.

Kim really was a lot different than she had been led to believe.

She polished off the pop she had been sipping and put the glass in the sink. Then she went upstairs to her room and opened her closet. Shoving her clothes to one side, she pressed a hidden latch.

Danika didn't have a vault in the rear of her closet like Kim did, but there was a false back. Hanging inside was a solid black outfit. It didn't have the power bands like the original, nor did it have a lot of the same capabilities but it did have the self-repairing fabric and could enhance her speed and strength. That was the best she could do at the moment, given the current state of her skills.

The debut of her new suit would have to wait. Her father was being transferred to the east coast over the summer and she would wait until then before the Vigilante Ninja returned to active duty. By then Kim and Global Justice would have gone on to other things and they would take no notice of a new costumed hero working far from their home turf of Middleton.

* * *

_I can do this._

_I can kick a bio-something-or-other animated totem pole's biscuit!_

_I can single-handedly destroy a Diablo bot!_

_I can do this._

Ron stared into this dresser mirror, trying to understand what he was doing wrong. All he had to do was nod at his little buddy Rufus and the naked mole rat would be on his shoulder helping him. He simply didn't want to do that. One more time, he wanted to accomplish this on his own.

Letting out a sigh he unbuttoned the tips of his collar and turned them up. The neck button was already done. He still hated wearing shirts this way, feeling like he was being choked to death even though the neck was the correct size. Just who in the world decided that for men to look nice they had to have buttoned up collars? Why couldn't high fashion also be highly comfortable?

Flip and twist and fold and pull. He looked in the mirror at his handiwork. Well, it looked a lot more like a knot, though more of one you'd find on a sailing ship than with a dark gray dress shirt. He was going for a Half-Windsor but he would have settled for a square knot. No, this just wouldn't do. Not only was the knot completely ugly, the back was far longer than the front and that was only down to the middle of his chest. Growling slightly he undid his tie once more.

Rufus sat on the edge of his dresser, looking up at his human proudly. This day was the culmination of so much. Twelve years finally complete, finally he was ready to take his first steps into true manhood. He may have been considered a man in his faith and had been for almost five years but the rest of society saw this as the true beginning of adulthood.

In his case it was actually quite a big accomplishment. There were times when it was very likely this day would either never come or would be put off one, two even three years. There had been a real scare at the end of his eleventh year that he would not be allowed to begin the twelfth. It took everything he had to pull up his grades at the last moment and get promoted.

The little Naked Mole Rat sat there, knowing Ron had to do this himself. He understood that. It was fine when he climbed up there and helped him get ready for Temple once he decided he had outgrown clip-ons, but this was different. Completely different.

"I can go this, little buddy." He said, wrapping his tie around the back of his neck again. Rufus just held up a claw in an approximation of a thumbs-up sign.

_Would I be weird if I pointed it out that Naked Mole Rats are not supposed to have opposable digits?_ He thought with a slight chuckle.

The laughs came easily. Despite the dangerous situations he had been through recently, the last months had left him with a deep feeling of contentment. Sure there was a lot of work ahead of him, but he knew he didn't have to go it alone. He'd never be alone again. He sighed again and made another go at the knot. This time the knot came out looking right, though the length was even worse than before. The tail of the tie was hanging way down past his belt.

He looked down and noticed Rufus was just shaking his head. He shrugged at his small friend and started over once more.

This was supposed to be easy. Easier than tying a bow-tie.

Hmmm. That was a thought. Tradition said he had to wear a tie today, but didn't really specify which kind. He pulled the Jerry Garcia tie from around his neck and opened a drawer on his dresser. The tie he pulled out was old and slightly tattered, especially after what it went through down in Mexico, but if he was able to get it tied right it would look just fine, plus it would be a bit more visible in his robe and everyone who saw it would know precisely what it was.

Try as he might, though, he just couldn't get this part done right, even with instructions open right in front of him. His knot looked, well, deflicted was the word he would have once used for it. To him it just plain looked corrupt. He did this on Prom night, what was the problem now? With grim determination he started again.

This time, though, strong feminine fingers reached around his neck and started guiding his hands. In a few deft moves the tie finally came together with a nice solid knot and the length just right. Those slender fingers pulled the bow taught and smoothed the sides against his collar. Then she went over to his bed and pulled something dark blue, almost purple from the tissue paper lined box, holding it up to the light streaming in through his bedroom window. She took something else from the box, inspecting the perfectly square object, made of matching dark blue material with a tassel of blood red and goldenrod.

Pulling off her glasses for a moment, she wiped her eyes.

"My little boy, all grown up into such a fine man now. Where did the time go?" His mother said, looking at him from head to toe. Ron was never going to be a very tall man in any respect, still sitting a couple inches shy of six feet tall. He was, in every regard, nicely average in height and build. Intensive exercise over the last year plus a final growth spurt had filled him out a little better. There was no way anyone could call him bird-chested any more. In fact, he had to replace a good portion of his wardrobe. Only his remaining two red jerseys would still fit him.

He smiled broadly, realizing where the other two were.

"To think you did this all on your own. Not the top of your class, but this is still impressive and going to school right here at Middleton College. I can't tell you how proud I am of you."

"You just did, Mom. You just did."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulder again. "I love you so much, Son, I hope you know that."

"I do, Mom. I do." He said, leaning his head over to touch hers.

She looked over at his closet, ad the tattered jacket hanging right beside the powder blue tux. "I just hated to see that happen to you. It wasn't fair."

Ron broke free from her. "Mom, I don't want to talk about that, not today, Okay. It was just clothing. Mister Horowitz can always make me another one when it's time. Maybe this time with tails and a white cummerbund, one that matches my white yarmulke?"

"All I'm saying, Ronnie, is that I tried to tell you that was going to happen. It was inevitable. It's just the way things seem to happen to the two of you." She said, cocking her head slightly to the side. "Poor old Solomon, he was almost heartbroken when he found out what had happened."

"Mom, don't talk about it like that. It was just a tux…"

"Just what, Ronnie? Being a tailor is his life and his livelihood. Just you remember when it does come time who your other friends are. One of these days good people like old Mister Horowitz are going to be gone and the world is going to be the poorer for it."

"Mom, I know. I'll remember. Heaven knows we all should remember that sort of thing. Trust me."

"Trust you? Of course I trust you. Just like I trust Kim now. Such good kids." She leaned in close to her son and whispered. "Just you remember, Catherine Jean needs some nieces and nephews close to her age to play with." She patted her expanding tummy.

"Mom! It's not like we're running to the alter the moment I turn eighteen. I know it seems like the two of us are already an old married couple sometimes, but good lord, give us a chance to be kids for a little while yet. Besides." He laid his hand over his mother's stomach. "You're going to need Kim to baby sit for a while before she's taking care of our own kid."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be trying to rush the two of you to the front of the Temple today Ronnie." She picked up the robe and held it to his chest, still marveling she had to hold it up. Ron had grown into the tallest Stoppable ever, standing a few inches taller than either of his parents.

She left him to finish getting ready for graduation. Graduation. He was finally going to put what he once considered that hated Middleton High School behind him. The last year had changed that opinion. That was fine with him, thought it also meant putting that part of his life with her behind him as well, and that was a little sad. It was a good thing Middleton College accepted him. That way the past would blend into the future and it would never be completely lost. He was accepted for the Johnson and Wales program at MC and he was already stoked to get started, even though he was looking forward a summer free from most of his former responsibilities.

Some time over the summer they would take off on a vacation together, for the first time deliberately heading off on an extended trip without any kind of chaperone.. The only thing still holding him back was the seemingly interminable wait for his eighteenth birthday. He didn't have to worry about money. His father had increased the allowance he could draw off his Bueno Nacho trust fund and there would be plenty left over after college expenses and books to use for such a trip if he was careful.

He glanced around his room. Most of the old toys were gone. Before he had access to his own money he found that a lot of them were actually quite valuable. That worked out well at the time, since he needed the money to buy her a nice birthday gift. To him it was never wasted money, especially since she wore them almost constantly now. The emerald earrings themselves cost more than a thousand dollars. That would be chump-change when he turned twenty-one and could draw on his whole trust fund, but even now that was a lot of money.

It was still an hour before they would pile into his father's Camry and head for the ceremony. The graduation itself was really more than two hours away, but he always insisted on being early for everything. Ron had an assigned seat based on where his name fell in the alphabet, so he wasn't worried about getting a prime spot, but it didn't matter, his father had to be early and that was it.

Ron lay back on his bed, propping his hands behind his head. He really wished she was with him this morning. He missed her terribly even though they had been out late the evening before. He closed his eyes tightly and wished she was right there with him.

His eyes snapped open and he sit bolt upright in his bed.

He was still in his room, still dressed and ready for graduation. He had not fallen asleep.

Yet he knew with absolute certainty this was the dream he had on several occasions. This was that particular day.

Leaning back on the bed he let out a huge breath. Maybe the dream had been a warning after all. He wasn't quite sure what had been the true turning point to make the reality happy where the dream had been so utterly sad but he had done it. In a couple hours he would no longer be a Senior, he would be a graduate. In a couple more months he would call Kim his fiancé and not just his girlfriend and maybe a couple years past that, he would call her wife. If that was the only thing he had to look forward to in life, that would make him the happiest man on Earth.

He felt a slight squirming against his back and heard a very faint squeak that sounded like "Help me." Sitting up quickly, he scooped up Rufus, who had been smooshed under him on the bed. The little guy was none-the-worse for the wear, though he was rubbing his head and shaking a tiny fist at his human.

"Sorry there Rufus, that was my fault."

_My fault._

Ron narrowly missed Rufus when he fell back on the bed, laughing almost hysterically at himself.

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_**Never the end**_

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a/n

I'd like to thank all the folks who have offered the support for this story. All those who've sent me reviews and private messages along the way. This story alone has turned into the longest piece I've ever written and just like I said above, it's far from over.

Coming soon: The story continues in **_KP – Countdown_** – a fluffy little romance from their second summer of love, leading up to **_Motor Court Blues_** and **_Soulmates of the Fury_**. The saga is also continuing in **_Heart of the Fury_** and the upcoming college Freshman fic, **_KP - One Oh One_**.

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Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


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